


Unrefined Metal

by arthurh3535



Category: Champions (Roleplaying Game), Worm - Wildbow
Genre: F/M, Gen, Self-Insert, Superheroes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-13
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2018-12-14 16:02:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 42,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11786601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arthurh3535/pseuds/arthurh3535
Summary: A self insert that doesn't know of the setting he's fallen into, lost and at a loss. Someone that doesn't even understand the power and shackles forced upon him. A butterfly hurricane dropped into Brockton Bay before a certain girl planned to go out as a hero.





	1. Chapter 1

With a groan, the young man sat up and looked around. And still without his glasses that were no longer necessary. But even human senses could tell that he laid in a stinky, garbage filled alleyway between two buildings. A cat at the end of the alley leaped up to a battered wood fence and then hissed at him.

"Now what have you gotten yourself into this time, Arthur?" he asked himself. With a sigh, he stood up even as he noted the glints of metal on his hands. "Damn it." It took a few minutes to draw back the bits of cyber technology fused to his form and hide it under his skin. Dull, blue eyes noted the sound of a car that drove by the alley's entrance.

He frowned. Something looked odd, so he walked to the street. And frowned again.

It looked like some ghetto. Or at least what he thought a ghetto looked like. He saw cars parked down the one side. Futuristic, rusted and crappy looking cars. He recognized a few of them, but most looked unfamiliar.

"Hey! You! Leave before you get hurt!" an old man shouted.

Arthur looked around and realized that everyone _else_ was Asian. And many of them looked angry or afraid. "Oh, um, sorry." He walked down the street, though not really worried. They probably couldn't hurt him after he woke up a week ago.

That did not deter them as a teen about seventeen stepped out of an alley he walked past and tried to hit a homerun with his skull.

And _clanged._

"Shit! Cape! Cape!" he screamed out in a panic.

Arthur just stood there and looked confused. "Cape? And why did you try to kill me?" He focused on the guy that attacked him as he pulled out a gun. "Look, don't be hasty. I don't want to hurt you." Why was his friend shouting into something about the size of a pack of cards?

The gun went off, bullets bouncing off of his skin.

"Shit-shit-shit-shit!" the ganger screamed.

Then the hum filled the air as  _all the bugs_ appeared and swarmed the gun wielding gangster.

Arthur blinked, then noticed a girl five hundred feet away and down the alley at the next street over. Skinny and gangly, she stared intently down the way from around the corner through her square glasses. His vision zoomed in, taking in the features and clothing he could see.

Then his attention came back to the area in front of him as a man in Japanese demon mask appeared with a soft pop and tried to cut his throat with a combat knife. He brought up his arm and blocked it.

That was _enough_. And he threw his first punch in anger since primary school. His fist exploded through demon-mask in a spray of ash.

"What the hell?" he asked of himself as he noted everyone else fleeing.

"Oni! Oni!" a gangster shouted, glee in his voice.

Then the grenades started to land around him as Oni appeared and tried to shove his knife through Arthur's stomach.

Done the alley, Taylor blinked and shivered as most of her bugs died at the grenades went off. Oh, god! Her first attempt to use her powers to help someone and Oni blew them up!

"I liked that jacket!" the kid shouted even as he looked around as the smoke dissipated. His ratty brown leather jacket fared better than his jeans and tennis shoes. And showed bits of cybernetics crisscrossing all over his body.

"Brute?" she said to herself.

Arthur reached into his smoldering jacket with one hand even as he elbowed Oni when he appeared behind him. He fired a weird, high-tech pistol at Oni up on the roof with the stun beam, which puffed him into ash again. The Oni behind him burst into ashes even as he spotted Oni on another roof. Another one appeared in front of him and dropped three grenades and turned to ash when hit with the neuralizer.

"Dammit!" Arthur cried out as he scuttled backward. The grenades knocked him over.

Bugs lined up on the ground to spell out 'Teleporter, leaves clone behind'.

"Oh, that makes better sense," he muttered even as he desperately tried to look everywhere. And his body responded and created cameras at points across his head. He blinked and shook his head. "Whoa, don't do that again." He zapped the Oni that appeared ten feet away before he could throw two grenades. **360 degree vision**.

Oni appeared another four times to attack him before he figured out that he had to have line of sight even as he sped up his 'clock' time. **Overclocked** . Two more grenades went off and then Arthur fired at Oni as he appeared ten feet away where he _expected_ him to appear. And then the demon masked parahuman flopped to the ground bonelessly.

"Gotcha, you jerk," Arthur said as he looked around. He looked over at some bugs as they wrote more words. He started to swat at his pants to try and put out the fire. "Thanks."

"Wow, this is a mess," a man said from behind him.

Arthur spun around and shot the masked man in the face. "Shit! I didn't mean to do that," he said as he looked down at the red and black striped super as he slumped to the ground.

"You shot a hero!" an old Chinese man shouted from the door to his little grocery store. He slammed the door closed.

"Um, I think I'll just go." Arthur turned and ran off. He shouted over his shoulder. "They'll be out for about thirty minutes or so."

* * *

Armsmaster's motorcycle cornered smoothly as it thrummed with the fake sound of a heavy engine. "Dispatch, I have spotted Velocity on the ground. No apparent wounds.  How long until PRT reinforcements?" He parked the motorcycle and dismounted. He scanned the area as he moved.

"Five minutes," came the response over the radio.

The hero looked around and frowned. All of the explosion lay fifteen feet from Velocity. But he laid on top of it, looking almost pristine clean. His visor caught the view of a kid hiding behind a car across the street. He point his hand. "You, please come out with your hands up. If you comply, you will not be hurt."

"Shit! Don't shoot!" the kid yelled. "Whitey, jack-booted thug." The last bit came out much softer.

"What happened here?" Armsmaster demanded in a stern but not loud voice.

"Some white shit head wandered into the street and some of the boys-"

"Meaning ABB?"

The kid glared, but nodded. "Yeah, ABB. One of them tried to hit the stupid idiot's head off with a homerun. And it broke the baseball bat. Looked like a kid my age. Then he tried to cap his stupid ass and all these bugs showed up and swarmed the guy with the gun. Oni showed up and started to do his slicey murder thing and dropped grenades and would you believe it but this still isn't hurt. That went on for like a minute and then the white kid started to shoot some weird ray gun and finally knocked out Oni." He gestured at Velocity. "Then he showed up and got blasted. Kid was probably trigger happy. Some of the boys grabbed Oni and ran. And then you showed up. Oh, and I think the kid said they'd wake up in an hour or something."

"And where is this kid?" Armsmaster asked as he continued to look around.

"Ran off. No one wanted to stop someone that ignored grenades."

"I'm not seeing any energy blast marks."

"Nah, his weird green shit didn't hurt anyone but people and only knocked them out. I think he hit Mr. Tang's honda in the window and there's not even a mark."

"So some type of stunner. Thanks, kid. But stay away from your 'boys' otherwise you might end up sitting in jail one day," Armsmaster said. Down the block, a big heavy PRT truck appeared.

This did not bode well for the weekend. He had plans for personal Tinkering.

* * *

Arthur (back in his 'disguise') looked around the shops as the sun rose over the water. The tang of the ocean explained the cold Atlantic that the Boardwalk faced. He tried to look around casually, but he looked a right mess.

"Hey, kid? You alright?" a bald white guy asked. Even under his jacket you could see his bulk and muscles.

"I'm fine. Just a rough day. I need some new clothes." He gestured to his pretty ripped up pants. With that, he shrugged and started to walk to a clothing store that someone mentioned had reasonable prices.

Half an hour he came out, shocked that his pants cost most of the money he had in his wallet. He stared at the receipt, as if to force it to show a lower amount. And the clerk had told him these were cheap slacks. $40? Really? And...

Time seemed to freeze as he noticed something else on the receipt.

Saturday, Jan. 23rd, 2011?

_What the fuck?_

That explained why everyone wore coats and looked at him as if he was nuts. Apparently super toughness came with modest immunity to heat and cold.

Fifteen years. No wonder everything cost so much. Wait, check and verify. He headed over to the nearest bookstore that had a coffee shop attached. He verified the date on the newspaper. _And the paper cost how much?_ Brockton Bay, MA? He shrugged at that. Ever since he disappeared and reappeared a week later, his life had been weird.

He ignored the other customers reading books, talking on tiny cell phones or even just eating bagels as he sat at an empty table with his thoughts awhirl. Shit, everyone probably thought he disappeared again. Except this time permanently.

He needed money to make a long distance call. He opened his wallet and grimaced at the two dollars. Could he beg for it? With his new slacks? They'd probably think him a druggie on the lookout for his next fix.

An ATM in the corner drew his attention. He'd pay them back later. He only needed a twenty. He focused on that odd part of his mind that allowed him to control machines. _Any_ machine. The cameras started to loop from a minute ago as he walked over and he pretended to pull out a card and tap some buttons.

One minute later and he had the money. And needed to change it to quarters. Of course. And breakfast?

One bagel sandwich, a cup of water and a newspaper later he sat down with a small jingle. He started to munch as he read the front page started to get really confused. The first main article talked about the local Protectorate superhero team helping to crack down on crime down by the docks and warehouses. The leader, known as Armsmaster and a Tinker (capitalized?), had a little blurb talking about his past and being one of the premiere Tinkers after Hero died in 2000.

The next article talked about a scandal involving the Empire Eighty-Eight (with a note that the Neo-Nazi gang was dangerous and to stay away). The Empire had a fight with Lung (another, Asian villain) over a drug shipment. Two warehouses damaged. Most of the rest of the articles dealt with politicians or sports teams.

He folded the paper and stepped outside to look for a phone booth. He wandered for about ten minutes before he found one.

And then two beefy guys in black suits approached.

"You are coming with us. And don't even think about denying that you did something to that ATM. You were lucky you left when you did, as the Protectorate showed up." Suit number one palmed a gun and gestured to a wide alley that led to a parking lot. "So unless you want to end up in prison, don't say a word and do as we say. And we'll explain what happens to you and what rules you broke."

"Um, sure." Crap.

They slapped handcuffs on him and shoved him into the back seat. They drove off at a sedate pace as he frowned. He thought cops read him his rights? Well, they might not be cops.

They turned down a side road as the suit number two shoved a black hood over his head. Officially freaked out, he tweaked his eyes until he could sort of see through it just in time to see them go through a chain link fenced gate and then down a construction ramp for some huge building.

A large door opened in the parking garage, designed to look like a concrete wall. And then the soldiers in swat gear showed up and pointed laser rifles at him as they dragged him out. Laser rifles? Weird. And not a service patch anywhere.

These guys _might_ be some clandestine government agency, but Arthur started to reach out and control the cameras into the area even as his cybernetic power molded and adapted itself to let him 'see' through the secure system. He quickly started to scan through the base. No US flags anywhere, but lots of soldiers mostly focused on him. He turned on hidden cameras everywhere, even finding one that showed a huge office right out of a James Bond movie set. And a really skinny guy in a black skin tight outfit that covered everything who appeared to be talking on the phone.

Arthur tapped into the phone to listen in as they dragged him to a room.

"...you will give him a soft sell, Tattletale. You are sure he used technology to steal from the ATM?" the mastermind said.

"100% positive. I think it's inside of him. He's some sort of Tinker," a girl's voice said in a tired tone of voice.

"Take a laser pistol with you. I will be talking to you through your earbud. Remember that I _will_ know if you try turn him against me. And it will not be pleasant for you."

"Yes, Coil. He's no prodigy of will, so I'm sure I can get into his head and convince that join. Did you want him in the Undersiders?" Tattletale asked.

"No. A Tinker is more valuable under my direct control. I want to know every way we can use to control him. Good." He hung up the phone even as Arthur let himself be dragged into one of the interrogation rooms. He started to change out of the outfit to put on an expensive suit. Lastly he put a device in his ear. "Tattletale, you may start. Just be aware that I am listening to everything you say."

"Yes, sir." Tattletale finished pushing her mask on her face and let the adhesive hold it firmly. She checked the bulky pistol on her shapely hip. Then she walked down a hall and past several doors before opening the door to the interrogation room. "So you are the stupid Tinker that thought robbing an ATM was a good idea. While they aren't Tinker tech themselves, they are connected to Tinker tech monitoring systems to catch people looping the video and other stupid tricks."

"I just needed enough money to make a phone call. This is really a bit much for $20, don't you think?" Arthur replied. "I was even going to pay it back if I could."

She frowned at that. "Well, now you managed to get the attention of the PRT and the gangs. Your best bet is to agree to work for the boss..." Tattletale narrowed her eyes. He knew who her boss was? How? He's in the cameras? She carefully controlled herself. "The boss will know if you try anything, but he will pay decently. Even if he does recruit the best capes at gunpoint."

Arthur narrowed his eyes at that. "I thought this all was government."

"Kill him right now," Coil told Tattletale in her ear. "He's a brute cyborg."

"Are you under duress?" Arthur asked as he flexed his hands and broke the cuffs.

"You don't understand, he doesn't lose. He says he controls fate," Tattletale said as she aimed the pistol at him and shot him in the shoulder. The leather jacket flared and caught fire, but it did nothing to the metal and flesh below it.

"So that's a yes. I can't believe they didn't even take the neuralizer," Arthur said as he pulled out the tech pistol from under his jacket and shot her. "Guess they didn't think that I would have a weapon."

Tattletale collapsed in a heap as Arthur dashed forward and burst through the door with a shoulder check. Mercs at the end of the hall pointed weapons.

"Die, mother fucker!" the squad leader shouted as they all fired their lasers.

Those the cyborg felt. He continued forward as a glowing field appeared around him and he just plowed through them to the next door as it opened then closed behind him.

Coil slipped out of a door into another parking garage. "Heavy weapon squads forward. Use the rocket launchers." He slipped into the back of a SUV with a driver ready for him. "Drive." He held out his phone as he sent a text message to a specific phone number. He smiled at the generic response that signaled that the self destruct timer activated. "Keep him away from the main control room and my office."

"Sir, he's bum rushing right through us on a direct path to your office-" A crash sounded as another armored door crumpled.

"PRT building," Coil told his driver as he hung up. He started tapping in another text message to another random seeming phone number.

Arthur moved through the open and _very_ heavily armored door to Coil's inner sanctum and walked over to the desk and the computer screen on it.

The phone started ringing as Coil called his office. Arthur hit the speakerphone option to answer.

"You have cost me a lot of resources, young man," Coil said.

"I wasn't the idiot that tried to recruit a super via pistol to the head," Arthur noted as he shut down the different commands coming into the servers and finally just cut the external links. He frowned as he noted several commands that came through the phone lines to a separate computer system. Linking to that one, he noted the twenty seconds until a self destruct finished counting down. He cut all voice lines except the one that Coil used.

"I would have paid well for your services. In fact, I still will if you agree to paying a penalty," Coil continued.

"Like that self destruct? The one I turned off?"

Coil stopped talking with his mouth open in surprise, then hung up.

"It must have been something I said." Through the cameras, he watched all of the soldiers flee through other secret entrances. But he had all the payroll records, so that would not help very much. "Back to Tattletale, I guess."

He stepped over broken and stunned soldiers as he walked back to the interrogation room as he finished his cyber take over. He molded his hand into a neural stabilizer and flared the light over her head. "Wakey wakey!

Tattletale awoke with a start, a headache faded as something glowed from his hand. "You won? How the hell did you win, kid?"

"First, I'm not a kid. At least I didn't use to be before I disappeared. And I can make myself look normal, but it takes effort. I'm Arthur. What's your name?"

"Tattletale. No mask? You are gutsy," Tattletale said as her headache finished washing away. "Wow, you have a a lot of powers. But not very strong?"

"I literally have no idea how strong what I do is, but I can shapeshift my cybernetics to do a lot of things. Secret identities are a thing? Should I send Coil's face to the police?"

"You saw his face? You hacked everything? And even deactivated his self destruct? Let's go to his office, right now!" Tattletale started trotting through the office. "Oh, zap that guy. He's not unconscious. We'll need to get rid of them later."

"Um, sure?" Arthur replied as he zapped the hurt merc in passing. Probably a kindness with his leg twisted that way.

Back in the office, Tattletale skipped over to the computer and started typing. "Yes! We need to drain his accounts to our own before he thinks to stop us."

"Give me account numbers that you want to move the money to," Arthur said as he wandered in and put his odd pistol away.

"Oh, they didn't realize that was a gun because it doesn't really look like one," Tattletale said as she started typing account numbers down into a document."

"Okay, all done," Arthur said. "So tell me about you and this Coil guy." He stood in front of the desk as he noted only the one chair that Coil had for himself.

"He's a psychopath. He literally had a gun held to my head and proved I couldn't escape by telling me what my escape plan was," Tattletale said.

"Telepath? A friend mentioned I'm pretty immune to that," he replied as he sat on the edge of the desk at a twisted and uncomfortable way so he could look at her.

"No such thing... Well, I guess there is. Wherever you are from," the girl said.

"Utah. 1995," he explained.

"Wow, so you remember when Scion appeared? No, you don't recognize him. But you should. You aren't lying but you don't know, either. And damn, I've overused my power again." Did Coil have any painkillers here?

"Let me try the neural stabilizer again," Arthur said as he reached over the desk and activated the green glowing ray from the palm of his hand.

"Oh, my god. That is amazing and I think I'm in love with you," Tattletale said, then laughed as he blushed and sputtered. "Now if only you could fix my power giving me too much info." She shuddered at that.

Arthur frowned as he considered it, changing the ray to a scanner. The cybernetics soon pinpointed her powers to strange structures in her head that connected dimensionally.

"Well, we are millions of dollars richer. Which will help to try and get you back to your world and time. Alternate world? Not Earth Aleph." Tattletale smiled and stood up. "So what does Coil look like?"

The screen in front of her popped up a picture of Coil.

"Oh, wow. He's actually part of the PRT." Tattletale nearly squealed.

"That's where he told his driver to take him," Arthur supplied helpfully.

Her grin turned vicious. "Really? And where is he right now?"

"Waiting to talk to some Director Piggot. I think he's planning on sending some heroes down here to attack us."

"You are in his phone! That's awesome."

Arthur nodded. "It was kind of hard. I had to really focus to get past the encryption and link protection. Usually I can control anything pretty easily."

"So let's make his day even worse. I happen to know her email."

* * *

"How much longer will it be for the Protectorate to investigate that hidden base?" Thomas Calvert asked.

"Probably another ten minutes. We'll move to the control room to oversee the mission," Director Emily Piggot said as she set down her phone. She rubbed her eyes, then set her hands flat on the edge of the desk to help lift her aching body. Her email pinged with a simple message.

'Thomas Calvert is Coil.'

"One second," Piggot said as she clicked on it and brought up the email with pictures of of the man across the desk removing a supervillain outfit. "Sorry." She clicked her email closed. "Okay, let's focus on capturing these villains."

She led the way to a control room filled with long tables, computers and screens in an organized chaos of dispatchers.

"Velocity, continue recon to discover any secret entrances," a serious young woman said into her headset as others gave their orders to capes or PRT troopers.

"Calvert, take over support ops. We're going to need need to comb the crime scene thoroughly," the director explained as she frantically thought over how many of her people could be _his_ people. "So yes, you are on active duty instead of consulting."

"No problem, Director," Calvert said with a thin smile as he moved forward to the front row and two steps lower.

Piggot moved to her 'corner' where her deputy director waited for her. "One second. I think I got a text," she lied. She pulled up her contacts on her phone and sent a coded message to Director Armstrong of the Boston PRT and a simple time stamp of three hours from now. "Sorry. So let's kick this into gear."

The next three hours they investigated the rather large base that warehoused quite a few weapons and supplies. The fact that there were thirty tinker-tech rifles in the armory worried Piggot quite a bit.

Calvert clenched his jaw for the fourth time in three hours as he dropped another time line. _Where did his Tattletale go?_

The door slammed open as PRT troopers moved in.

"Nobody move! This is Director Armstrong and this is code Alpha-Romeo-Gamma-Gamma. Master/Stranger protocols are now in effect. Any action to leave will result in hard takedowns. Roberts, start disarming people and then cuffing them," the older man outside the room shouted through a bullhorn.

Deputy Director Reinhart looked over at Piggot. "Emily?"

"I ordered this, Reinhart. I had actionable intelligence that suggested that a Master had infiltrated the PRT. So stand down," Piggot ordered.

Now to see if there was anything to that email.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things continue off the rails.

"Come on, Brian. We need to be out of the loft here in the next hour," Tattletale (aka Lisa) called out to her teammate. She turned back to the box in front of her as she slid in another piece of electronics.

"You still haven't explained why we have to move," the big, dark skinned teen noted as he carried a box to set it by the door.

"Your boss tried to recruit me at gunpoint. I disagreed and knocked over his base and made him run away. And hopefully outed him to the Feds," Arthur said as he carried the couch to the moving van parked in the warehouse.

"No shit? And who was our boss?" Brian asked Lisa as he stared at her with his dark, intense eyes.

"Coil. And he recruited me at gunpoint too, but he had no idea he had picked up a brute that can control computers with his mind," she explained as she slipped in her notebook into the box.

"Fuck that. What about the unwritten rules?" the young teen with olive-toned skin  asked.

"What's that?" Arthur called from down below at the truck.

"Part of the cops and robbers game so people don't attack you in your civilian ID. Something Coil does not respect," Lisa said as she taped the box close.

A loud whistle sounded and then three dogs barked and growled as they charged at the young looking man. Arthur turned in surprise and managed to step into a defensive stance, for all the good it did him.

"Bitch! Stop!" Brian shouted as he put down the box of gaming electronics.

"You're trying to get a new member without asking me," the butch and stocky girl at the entrance to the warehouse shouted.

The dogs started to whine and then cowered away. "Call them off," Arthur shouted as he turned up the supersonic whistle.

Another whistle sounded and the dogs ran back to their owner. Their ears flicked up and they stood up taller, looking around as the sound disappeared.

"Did they hurt their teeth on me?" the sandy-blond young man asked.

"What?"

"He's a brute, you dumb shit," Brian shouted. "He could have killed all of your dogs."

Her pained face looked up and then she crouched down and started to check their teeth. "Shit. Broken tooth," she said with frustration and anger.

"Dammit. Not another shirt." He examined the tatters of his left sleeve of his button up shirt. With a sigh, he walked over as he nudged the cybernetics to create some sort of healing others device. "Another ray?" He held up his hand and it emitted a soft, green glow.

'Bitch' frowned and then bared her teeth like a dog. "Stop!"

"I was just trying to heal him. Or, well, I think regenerate. Man, I wish I understood my cybernetics better," Arthur grumbled as he closed his hand and cut off the beam.

"Not powers. He was created by a Tinker. No, Tinkers. And he's a bullshit  _ Trump. _ Holy shit." Lisa's open mouth closed and then curled up into a shit eating grin. She shook her head. "But not now. We need to move our base so our old boss doesn't clean up any loose ends."

"And how likely is that?" Alec said in a flippant tone.

"He'll probably torture us all to death," Lisa said in a very serious tone of voice.

"Um, you're kidding. Right?" the youngest person present asked. He was the person that did things like that.  _ Other _ people being like that to him and his teammates was dangerous.

"Recruited at gunpoint," Arthur reminded as he carefully pet one of the dogs.

"Shit. Crap. Fuck," Alec said.

"Finish moving, then we can panic and then try to figure out how to survive," Lisa ordered.

Alec scowled at her once she turned her back. He then smirked as he pointed his finger like a gun at Arthur's back while he carried two boxes. He made a shoot gesture.

And Arthur walked a few steps, then looked around. "Did someone try to mind control me? My psionic field registered an attack." 

The Canadian born villain studied him. "Just me being a jerk and trying to trip you. I guess you are good to go to fight the Simurgh though. Your funeral."

"The who?"

"You know, the Endbringer?"

"What's an Endbringer?" Arthur asked as he clearly looked confused.

"Who the fuck is this idiot?" Alec demanded as he spun to Lisa.

"He's not from Earth Bet," she answered.

* * *

 

Brian watched the kid as he helped carry the last box out of the truck. The door rolled down and they closed up. "You don't exactly act like a kid," he noted.

Arthur looked over. "Oh, right. After I was kidnapped and remade I look younger than I am. About half the age. I'm twenty-three."

"No shit?" he asked.

"Sure, give me a second to fix my 'disguise'." Arthur closed his eyes and grew taller and a little less young looking. A tiny bit pudgy with a long body and not very muscled with sandy hair in a professional men's cut. Neither ugly nor overly handsome. Just kind of generic with a weak chin. "I'm not sure on the height. I was five-ten before."

"Your close. So some Tinker kidnapped you and turned you into super-cyborg?" Brian asked as he walked to get into the moving truck.

"I guess? We didn't have supers... No, you guys call them capes-" he said.

"Parahumans is the technical term," Lisa said as she walked out the front door of the large, older house crammed together on an old neighborhood. "So you didn't have a trigger?"

Arthur tilted his head in confusion.

"Huh. Weird. Maybe you did, but you don't remember. Think worst day of your life and then you break and get super powers. Usually related to what is happening to you."

"That sounds like it sucks," he replied as Brian started the truck and drove away. His own depression sounded pretty minor in comparison. "So you ordered pizza?"

"Should be here in twenty minutes. Could you answer the door and pay for it with cash?" Lisa asked as she held out some ten dollar bills.

"Sure."

Half an hour they sat down to eat. Alex proved what his priorities were already had his first game system hooked up. It looked fairly interesting as he went gunning down enemy soldiers only pausing to grab bites.

"Hmm. I wonder if Wing Commander is still being made?" he asked aloud.

"No, not even on Earth Aleph. It's fifteen years away," Lisa said, then went back to take a bite of her pizza.

"I might try that later. But I had an idea. Let me stabilize your neurons again," Arthur offered to Lisa, holding out his hand as he lost concentration and reverted to the young looking cyborg.

"Not going to argue you with fixing my headaches," she replied with a grin. Her smile faded as she started to pick up too much from him. Pent up and attracted as he tried not to look at her in an inappropriate manner. Inexperienced.

Arthur regenerated and stabilized her brain, then switched to scan it for her power. "So you do the intuition thing, right?" Intuitionpath? Sounded a little dumb, but could be accurate.

"Right, and your are scanning my Corona Pollentia and Gemma to see how my powers work. It won't work, even the best Tinkers and Thinkers haven't found much," she replied with a smirk on her face.

"Hmm. Some sort of dimensional access points? At least that's what my scanner is picking up. Not sure what that means? Is there a dimension where energy beings exist that fight a proxy war through Parahumans on Earth? Oh, right." Arthur pointed the beam at his head. "I don't have that Corona thingie. Just lots of cybernetics."

"So you were rebuilt that way. I wonder why you have mental protection- Oh, wow. That sucks," the girl said.

"What?" Arthur asked as he let his arm lapse back to a normal cyberlimb.

"Someone doesn't want you controlled to block  _ them _ from controlling you," Lisa said.

"Oh. Shit." Arthur sat there a long moment. "Well, I'm going to be in the garage." He walked through the cluttered kitchen and then opened the inside door the box strewn garage. 

He moved over to the workbench and started pulling out random things from some of the boxes.

Could he make Lisa's intuition power help him? Protect him from the people that did this to him? He didn't want to lose control-

Arthur blinked as if coming awake, looking at the 'U' shaped piece of metal and wires that reminded him of some of the cybernetics he saw in the mirror since that night. He sat up and set a strange soldering iron down.

"Huh. I wonder what it does." He flipped it over and then realized it had to be an odd tiara with the two ends that would touch the forehead. And a bit girly, he had to admit.

He stood up from the workbench, noting that more boxes and items lay around as he walked to enter the house. And stopped as he realized the kitchen looked fully set up.

A quiet snore came from the plush couch. He moved over to see that Alec lay sprawled out with a controller on the ground in front of him and several dirty plates and a mostly empty box of takeout. All of the game system showed themselves to be connected and ready to use.

A door opened down the hall and Lisa stepped out.

"I thought I heard you moving around," she said as she finished patting her long hair dry and then flipped it to lay over her back as if she did not care that it would dampen her bathrobe she wore over her large T-shirt and shorts. "So what did you make?"

"I think I made something to help you. You just have to wear it on your head," he said as he held out.

"Two modes, huh? One for healing the brain, the other to lessen some limits? Nice," Lisa said as she set it on her head and touched the glass inset on the one end that sat on her left temple. "Oh, god that feels nice. Instant headache cure. Luckily I haven't really overused my power that much." She tapped the other button on the right temple and it flickered red.

"There's a slider. Just run your hand on the tiara towards that switch and it will dampen you power so it doesn't overload. Turn it up the other way it it will sharpen it for a short time," Arthur explained as the information popped into his head.

Lisa swiped it towards the switch and then looked at him. He looked nervous and tired... and that was it. A smirk appeared on her face and she suddenly stepped up and grabbed his cheeks and then kissed him on the lips. No 'too much information' overload! "Oh, god. If you could see your face. I just wanted to see if I could kiss someone without grossing myself out. You just saved me from a celibate life."

"Um, you’re welcome. I'm-" dating, is what he almost said. And he did not know if anyone from his old life even existed. "Um, what would be the best way to try and figure out what happened to the me from this Earth?"

"The Internet, duh. Just Google information. Might not find yourself, but you might. Laptop is on the coffee table. I'm going to get dressed."

Arthur watched her walk away and then pulled his gaze away with a blush that only now started to fade. "She's a tease. How do you deal with someone like that?" he asked himself as he turned on the absurdly thin notebook that popped into a GUI operating system with incredibly high definition color. "Nice. So... Internet?" It took him  _ ten _ minutes to figure out the browser thing and then to try and start to search. Finally, in a fit of pique, he just took it over mentally and ordered it to find the information about himself.

And just stared at the news article. List of victims of the Slaughterhouse Nine in Hardin, Montana?

There were  _ hundreds _ of names on that list, including himself, his parents and his two next closest in age siblings. Most of the murders were attributed to their leader, King and two new members, Jack Slash and Harbinger. The screen flickered and then an official Parahuman Response Team (PRT) web page appeared with a list of the current Slaughterhouse Nine. Prominently at the top lay the picture of a smiling Jack Slash, the current and long time leader of the worst mass murderers in the world.

He leaned over the side of the couch and started to throw up.

"What the fuck! What's going on?" Alec shouted as he woke up at the violent noise.

"Sorry. I'm sorry." Arthur fumbled the notebook as he stood up. "I'll- I'll clean it up. In a minute." He dashed to the bathroom to start throwing up again.

Alec wrinkled his nose and picked up the (luckily) undamaged computer and started to go back different pages. "Why the hell is he looking up victims of the Slaughterhouse from back in 1985?" His eyes scanned the names until he stopped on one. Arthur Hansen (13). He clicked on the link to pull up a picture of a very familiar face but with goofy, large glasses. "That's fucked up, man." How to tease him about being a pussy? Alec blinked as he remembered something. How to tease him for being a pussy without being  _ squished  _ like a bug? Man, what a drag.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A return of a certain protagonist. And not being insane. Really.

Taylor walked out the door of Winslow High on monday along with all of the students, the feeling of heroic accomplishment drained from her helping that hero on Saturday. She got onto a bus to head home and went to stand by the back exit as she did not dare to sit down and spread the tacky purple grape juice on the seats. Light flurries of snow started to fall from the gray sky. 

The several block walk back to her house passed quietly like it always did, even as she desperately played with her insects. She turned onto the street for her house and stopped.

On the opposite side of the street walked familiar face. That new hero? She gulped and then continued on to her house, keeping track of him as he walked to... the convenience store two blocks away and around the corner? Taylor went into her house and grabbed a heavier coat and stepped out the back door.

Ten minutes later, the mystery cape from the Asian market street started to walk back up the street. And not very fast at all. Keeping out of sight, she followed him down the street her house stood on. He turned right and around the corner into one of the dumpier parts of the neighborhood, almost to the Dock's distract itself. And then walked into a house that had to be all of three hundred feet out of the range of her bugs while at home. He lived here?

She slipped into the back yard so she would be out of sight from the street. And then stopped to think. 

What was she doing here? He did not act like a villain and fought Oni. Of course, he did not have a choice there either. No mask, which disturbed her. Even now Taylor had a ski mask with her. Ignore the other two people? One was asleep.

The back glass door slid open as Arthur stepped outside and then wandered over to sit at a picnic table that looked older than the guy did. Would he get upset if she stepped out? She pulled on the sky mask, fighting to put it on and then put on her glasses. She then rapped on the wall of the house. 

"Um, hello?" Taylor stuck her head around the corner.

Arthur looked up to see a person stick their head out around the corner. He frowned as he noticed the BB with a baseball patch on the hoodie. And those specific glasses. He zoomed in to check her eyes out. "You're that girl that controlled the bugs?"

Taylor froze and then started to hyperventilate. "How-?"

"Telescopic vision. Thanks for telling me how he worked. I never even figured out why he attacked me." He sighed softly. "Are you all right?"

"Aren't you worried about someone figuring out your identity?" she asked with her voice taut with worry.

"I'm  _ literally _ no one and I can shapechange a bit. Thanks for helping, by the way. Those grenades stung." He reached into the blue, plastic bag at his side, pulling out the flavored triangle of corn chip. He munched for a moment, then held out the back. "Doritos?"

"Um, no thanks. You don't sound all right," Taylor said in a dull voice.

"We should start a club. I'm trying to desperately figure out what to do with my life that doesn't involve... Nevermind. What about you?" he asked as he took another chip out and then crunched on it after he finished talking.

"I just thought that things would be better after becoming a hero," Taylor said after a long wait.

Arthur thought for a long moment. "Heroes usually get the short end of the stick. Complications, enemies. You know. It's hard to be heroic. To do the right thing."

Taylor shrugged. "Nothing at school has improved. I felt better for a bit and they still treat me like crap. Now I feel worse."

"Bullying, right?" He frowned, even as he turned slightly more attentive. "You don't fight back?"

"I  _ can't _ fight back. One of them is a jock. So all I can do is hunker down."

He snorted at that. "I didn't say punch them. I said fight back. Has anything changed by you just taking it?"

"No?" What was the point of this, Taylor asked herself.

"I heard a neat saying recently. It's about doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. And that's called insanity. You have to do something different. So what have you tried?" Dull blue eyes watched her carefully.

"The adults are all useless. None of the teachers will stop them and the principal says it's just a matter of my word against all of theirs. My dad can't do anything, because of the girl's father is a lawyer. He could barely get them to pay for the medical bills after I ended up in the hospital. So what else is there?"

Arthur sighed again and scrubbed his hand through his hair. "I'm probably the last person to ask. I think some people tried to bully me sometimes, but I was too boring. Voted most likely to be home on Friday night doing homework by my entire school."

"What the hell? That sounds like the crap that happens in high school," Taylor noted.

"I graduated a few years ago and I now look younger than I am. So you can't physically fight back and you can't get anyone to back up your story." He started snickering. "So I guess you are lucky that you ran into cyborg boy. Can I have your glasses for a second?"

"Um, why?"

"So I can put cameras in them to record them bullying you." He accepted her glasses and silvery veins travelled down his fingers to coat the glasses. "There you go. Squeeze the bridge of the glasses to activate them."

Taylor took her glasses back and started to struggle to put them back on over her ski mask. "Okay, fine." She pulled off the mask and shoved her glasses back on. Then she started to pat her static-cling hair down.

"Turn it on, please," he ordered.

She squeezed the bridge, noting it looked almost natural. A small red light flickered in her eye. "Testing testing," she said.

Arthur held up his palm and projected a large, curved picture of the 300 degrees centered on her glasses. "I guess it works.

Hope surged Taylor's heart. A shy smile appeared on her face.

"So do you play role playing games?" he asked with an improved bit of humor as he turned off the projection.

"I'm not that kind of girl!" Taylor cried out even as she tensed up in preparation for a fight.

"That kind of..? I mean like Dungeons and Dragons! Jeez."

"Oh. No, I just read books." Taylor started to blush brightly, hoping that it looked like the cold caused it.

"Books are good. I mostly read SciFi and fantasy myself," he said as he tried to drum up some small talk.

"So the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings?" Taylor asked.

"I've read the Hobbit. I've been meaning to read the Lord of the Rings." Arthur turned at the opening of the glass door.

"Hey, you two. I'm Lisa," the blond said as she stepped out and then looked over at Taylor, eyebrows quirked as a question.

"Um, I'm Taylor. I sorta... met Arthur a few days ago. So, um, how did you two meet?" Taylor asked.

"He rescued me from a supervillain," Lisa said with a grin on her face.

"So you are a hero. What's your hero name?" The lanky girl looked over at the slightly shorter, younger look guy.

"I don't have one. Maybe cyber-something? I need to read up on supers here," he admitted.

"Parahumans." Lisa gave the other girl a look. " **_We_ ** are called parahumans."

"Um, I'm not-"

"You are holding a ski mask and it isn't that cold. Don't worry, I'm not going to out you. I was the 'villain' called Tattletale." Lisa's smile got wider. "Arthur rescued me from a villain called Coil. Coil  _ literally  _ kidnapped me off the street with two armed thugs and force me to work for him."

Taylor narrowed her eyes behind her glasses. "That really happens?"

"That really happens  _ most of the time _ . Kaiser would pressgang the three of us in a heartbeat."

The taller girl shuddered at that.

"So what were you guys talking... Oh, nice! Going to record your bullies!" Lisa said as she picked up cues from the two.

"Super-intuition. Or maybe Intuitionpath." He shrank back a little bit. "What?"

Lisa turned down her power so that she did not strain herself with a small sweep of her fingers. "Just your sense of humor,"she said with a bit of sarcasm.

"Probably," he said with a shrug. "So what are we going to do?"

"I've been hacking the PRT server. Coil's secret identity is hosed, but he broke out a couple of hours ago. He's probably heading to one of his backup bases to start planning revenge," Lisa said with a small shudder.

"Crap," Arthur said in a quite understated tone of voice.

"Well, I need to head home and try to figure out how to salvage some of my homework while I work on my costume. I want to have some protection the next time I go out as a hero," Taylor said and she put the ski mask on as a regular knitted hat.

"Don't forget to turn off the camera. Huh, I wonder if we should call it 'Day of a Bullied Student'?" he asked them.

Taylor gave a tight smile. "Right." She squeezed the bridge of her glasses. Then she turned to walk away.

"Bye, Taylor!" Arthur called out as he gave a quick wave. He looked over at Lisa. "What?"

"You know that just presenting them video evidence isn't going to be enough, right? It'll only get them suspended for a week and it will get Taylor in trouble due to recording laws," Lisa noted.

"And, of course, you have an idea."

"I have all the ideas. Heck, I probably would have tried to help her on my own. She's... really close to the edge," she replied as she walked in.

Arthur followed her into the living room, noting the missing form of Alex.

"He went to bed finally. He'll order a pizza when he wakes up. I'm going out and we'll probably have a team meeting to figure out what we are going to do. Because we  _ have  _ to figure out how to beat Coil." Lisa stood up and grabbed a scarf.

"Are you going to be safe?" Arthur asked.

"Sure, I'm just going to talk to Brian and Rachel. We'll have the meeting tonight or tomorrow."

As the door closed behind her, Arthur frowned. He needed some sort of distraction. Time to go find a book store.

* * *

 

The next morning, Taylor paused at the door to Winslow High and pushed her glasses back up her nose (and activated the camera, of course).

She opened the door and entered the school, all while she controlled her breathing. Halfway to her first class, Emma intercepted her with at least five girls above and beyond Sophia and Madison.

"Wow, I can't believe had the guts to show up after bawling yesterday," Emma said in a too sweet voice.

Most of the girls tittered at that. Madison piped up with her obviously practiced lines. "She doesn't have any friends. Just her Johns."

"You'd think she would wear better clothing," Sophia missed aloud. "Well, unless she does all the meth  heads for free. She does look like she caught something bad somewhere."

Taylor forgot about the recording and tried to sidestep around them, but the girls pushed her back with elbows. "I need to get to class."

"What's this?" the flunky Jesse said as she finished taking a sheaf of papers out of Taylor's backpack. "This looks like my homework. Thanks for remembering to bring it, Hebert."

"That's mine! Give it back," Taylor ordered in a bit strong way. She tried to grab the paper, but Sophia stepped close and tripped her to the ground harshly.

Taylor hit the ground heavily as she landed on her elbow hard.

The black track start sneered down at her. "Looks like you finally found where you're supposed to be."

Tears off pain dribbled down her cheeks.

The girls laughed and then quickly moved into their classes. Taylor shot Mr. Gladly an angry glare as he went into his class right afterwards. 

When she stepped into the class she found her seat covered in Elmer's glue. Again.

And school had hours to go. And Taylor felt nothing like a hero.

Taylor dragged herself from her last class, glad to be leaving.

* * *

 

She stepped out into the cold and checked the sky for snow. Big, fat and wet snow flakes fell in dribs and drabs. With a sigh, she walked to the bus stop. And down the street Arthur approached, though he looked a little taller and older. And with no sign of the metal implants on him.

"What's going on?" Taylor asked.

"Figured we could talk about what to do with the video. Lisa gave me some suggestions," he explained.

"Oh?" she responded with a flat look.

"Lisa suggested posting it to about seven different sites and then doing some things so it hits social media."

"No."

"Who else were you going to show it to? I thought you said taking anything to the adults was useless?"

Taylor felt like he punched her. "I don't want everyone to see me getting bullied."

"You didn't do anything wrong," he said with empathy. "You do not do anything wrong. You are the victim."

"I know. I know that!" she yelled.

"I don't know how to help you feel better," he said. "Unless you want a hug."

Taylor just stared. "Just a hug?"

"If  _ you _ want one."

Taylor moved in closer and took in the hug while Arthur tried to awkwardly pat her back .

"You're kind of bad at this," she noted even as tears trailed down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry."

Five minutes later, Taylor did feel better.

"I hate this. I'm supposed to be stronger." She pushed off of him and stood back, crossing her arms. "So... public shaming?"

"Considering how badly they were attacking you? Possible criminal charges after some parents start screaming to force an investigation. So publically posting it to video sharing sites and to the news. And then to some of the education motivated politicians."

Taylor nodded. "So, let's get started." Fighting back felt good, she decided.

* * *

 

Emily Piggot ambled to her desk with her first cup of coffee of the day. She sat down heavily on her well padded office chair and hit the button to boot up her secure terminal. Only thirty-eight emails. A slow night.

Half an hour later, her phone rang. "Director Piggot here," said as she answered the phone.

"Director, this is Miss Militia. I think you need to turn on Channel 4."

Piggot frowned as she grabbed the remote for the TV on the far wall. The picture of Sofia Hess in the middle of a line of girls and a ticker message along the bottom with 'Bullying in Winslow High'. "I'm seeing it. Exactly how bad-" Piggot winced as the view-target suddenly stumbled and looked up at Sophia from the ground who had obviously knocked her down. "Never mind. I'm going to trigger her recall alert on her cell phone, her tracker and then have it jam any other signals once she has acknowledged that she is heading to HQ."

"I'll start things on my end," Miss Militia said.

"Thank you for calling me." Piggot slammed the phone back into its cradle with a loud bang. "Erickson! Get a squad ready for a soft capture using tasers," she shouted to her personal assistant. "Someone get PR on the line and tell them we have a PR disaster unfolding!"

Half an hour of work and Piggot finished her trap. She double checked her holdout pistol. She then took the three stairs up to the Ward's section of the building in the geodesic dome on the top of the building. 

Erickson, a stocky PRT trooper, waved her over. "We're ready. We've got the tasers on half power. Control will electrify all of the doors on this level and the roof access."

"You're with me. You five, stay here and wait for control to send you in or if you hear a fight." Piggot opened the door and then moved to sit at a small conference table. Erickson moved to stand behind her against the wall next to the Ward's kitchenette.

Shadowstalker opened the upper door to the roof and then glided through the air in her shadowy form. She stopped in surprise at seeing the head of the PRT in the room. She glanced around even as she casually put her personal cell phone in a hidden pocket. 

"Where's everyone else?" she asked carefully. "I was almost at school, you know."

"They'll be by later. Mask off. This is an inspection," Piggot lied as she sat at the end of the table.

"Fuck? I've been good and only used the tranquilizer bolts," Sophia complained as she dropped her featureless mask on the table. She took the crossbow via the strap that had held it across her shoulder and body and set it down. She pulled out her quiver and set it beside the crossbow. "See?"

"Erickson?" Piggot called out as she continued to sit and unnerve the Ward.

"Yes, ma'am." He walked over casually, his hand on the pair of electrified cuffs on his equipment belt. A shick-click-clack in a blur of motion  and the handcuff clipped around her left wrist. With a pull and kick to her ankle, Sophia face planted on the table and her cuffed arm pulled behind her.

"You have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions. Anything you say may be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to the police and to have an attorney present during questioning now or in the future," he said in an even tone as he tried to wrestle her free arm to the other cuff as the other members of his squad rushed in. Three at distance with tasers while the two bigger troopers moved in to help control the prisoner.

"What the fuck?" Sophia shouted and tried to phase out, only to scream in agony as the handcuff gave her a low zap. 

"If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you before any questioning if you wish. If you decide to answer questions now without an attorney present, you will still have the right to stop answering at any time until you talk to an attorney. Knowing and understanding your rights as I have explained them to you, are you willing to answer my questions without an attorney present?"

"What the fuck is this shit?" Sophia demanded as she tried to wrestle free.

"This, Sophia Hess, is because I found that you broke your parole by seeing you bully a girl on  _ public TV _ ," Piggot snapped out. "You are going to be detained while we determine if you have been mastered while we investigate your actions. Unless you want to admit to being a bully? You don't have to, we can wait for your lawyers. But if you do the right thing for once in your life, I might be lenient and not have you sent to the Parahuman Detention Center to sit in their Juvie ward along with all the other teen, parahuman criminals."

Sophia stopped to really think about her situation. "She's just a fucking loser that no one cares about. Her old friend has been trying to force her to stand up for herself."

"Bullshit. What I saw was you helping break her. Or break her more." Piggot turned to the squad. "Get her out of here."

* * *

 

Taylor stepped into the side door of Winslow, only to be grabbed by a big, beefy hand. "Hebert, you're coming with me to the office," Larry the gym teacher ordered as he dragged her along.

"That hurts," Taylor said as she tried not to struggle.

"Tough. That bullshit you recorded illegally is going to get you into a lot of trouble," Larry snapped even as he opened the door to the main office of Winslow. Several people behind the counter looked up at her entrance. Off to the left, Taylor noted a police officer in a small office set aside for Brockton Bay's finest talking on the phone.

The older, heavy woman behind the counter picked up the phone and type an extension. "Yes, Larry found her and brought her in."

The teen found herself dragged into a certain office.

Principal Blackwell stared at the girl in front of her in controlled hate. "Miss Hebert. I find you, yet again, breaking rules and disrupting my school. And what do you have to say about that?"

Taylor stood up and shook her arm out of Larry's grasp. "I was fighting the bullies the only way I could because you fucking won't!" she shouted right back into the older woman's face. "I've brought up being bullied just like yesterday for over a year and all you would say is that it's my word against theirs! Well, now it's recorded evidence that's now out in public. So now you might do your damned job!"

"Look, you little shithead, Winslow is the worst school in the entire city and all you are doing is making my job harder. One month suspension." Blackwell called out louder, talking through her open door. "Officer Jenkins, please come to my office."

Ten seconds later the police officer from outside entered even as he looked a bit peaked. "Ma'am?"

"Arrest this girl and get her off my property," Blackwell ordered.

"Principal Blackwell, you do not get to tell me who I arrest. I will be happy to escort Miss Hebert off property, but beyond that it is up to my discretion," he replied in a very careful, flat voice.

The older woman glared at him and opened her mouth only to be interrupted as a glass door was slammed open hard enough to break the glass inset.

"Where is my daughter?" Danny Hebert shouted as he stormed into the office.

"Oh, dammit," the principal said as she started to rub her forehead to try and forestall her headache.

"Danny, calm down. We are going to handle this," a female voice said in an authoritative manner.

"Dad?" Taylor called out.

"Sir, you can't-"

Danny barged into the principal's office as he looked over his daughter to verify nothing was wrong and then turned to glare at Blackwell. "You promised you would stop any bullying and attacks."

"Mr. Hebert, you are intruding in my office while I'm handling official business," Blackwell tried to deflect.

"If my daughter is in this room, I am supposed to be here. Did you even try to call me?"

Blackwell's mouth dropped open at that. "I was just getting to that. Officer Jenkin's, why is this girl still on school property?"

"This is very unusual, ma'am," he said as he dabbed at his forehead with a hanky. "But I'll get right on it-"

"Excuse me, officer, but I think you may be operating under bad instructions and against procedure," a new woman said, her gray hair told of her age as the oldest person in the room. "Jessie Brandt, attorney at law. Of Brandt, Winston and Omers."

"Mr. Hebert, why did you bring an attorney into my office?" the principal demanded.

"Because I recommended that he do so as senior partner," Mrs. Brandt said in a flat cold tone of voice. "You broke your settlement contract and appear to endangered a child under your care-"

Blackwell slammed her hands on her desk as she stood up. "You do not get to come into my office and threaten me!" she shouted loud enough that kids out in the hallway stopped and tried to look inside.

"I have not threatened anything. I have simply stated facts," Brandt said in a very clipped tone as her Boston accent nearly disappeared.

The stout clerk poked her head around the door and nearly quailed at the atmosphere. "Principal Blackwell, Superintendent Jackson is on line five and demanded to speak with you immediately.

Blackwell held up a hand in dismissal and picked up the line. "Superintendent-" Yelling commenced from the phone, almost audible to everyone in the room. "Sir, I'm dealing with-" Even louder shouting could be heard. "You can't do that, sir. That would take a vote of the School Board-" She cut off again at even more yelling. "A recorded conference call? I- I guess I'll get Vice Principal Blue to take over-"

Her face went pale at that. "You cocksucking son of a bitch! You're throwing me under the bus!" She slammed the phone down. "Bastard." She shook her head and then looked at the people still in her office. "Officer Jenkins, why is that girl still on school property?"

"I think I need to contact my supervisor, ma'am. For instructions," Jenkins said slowly and clearly.

"All of you get the fuck out of my office. Especially both Heberts! God damned useless fucking dock rats-"

"You fucking bitch," Danny shouted right back as he saw red.

_ And an impossible vision filled his mind as darkness took him for a few moments. Vast beings, disintegrating even as the specks traveled across incredible spans of distance and precise times. _

Danny startled awake, confused even as the vision started to fade from his mind. 

Blackwell still shouted at them. "I don't care if they are having seizures or heart attacks, get them the hell out of my office."

God damn that bitch! He wished that she would slip up and do something that would let him deal with her-

Blackwell snatched up her keyboard and threw it as hard as she could at his face. Danny barely blocked it with his forearm as Jenkins, Blackwell and Brand had started yelling.

And Danny could feel that it became easier to influence, to control them. And with icy, shocking coldness he slammed a 'stop fighting' thought out.

"Mrs. Brandt, I think we should leave so we can start talking to a few judges," Danny said, still in a clipped and angry tone of voice himself.

"Yes, I think so, too."

With that, everyone finally left Blackwell's office.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad guy and better times.

Lisa Wilburn tapped the end call button on her expensive smartphone even as the political ripples traveled across the city from the polished video (and the raw footage for evidence's sake).

"That was Brian," she announced to the other two people at the table.

"So?" Alec asked as he compared the three different boxes of dry cereal.

"He's left the city after Coil sent some of his mercenaries after him and his sister. So they are going someplace that is not Boston," she said as she dialed down her power with a swipe of her finger. "Coil has a friendly working relationship with Accord."

"And Accord is..?" Arthur asked he grabbed the Fruit Loops and filled his bowl. He added milk only a moment afterwards.

"A fairly heavy hitter in Boston's villain scene. I can't blame him." Lisa sighed at that as Grue's power helped them escape many times. "We need to track Coil down again and infiltrate his computer systems before he wises up to not using them."

"He probably can't stop. At least and stay functional," Arthur said as he considered things. "What are you doing on the computer?"

She looked up from her notebook. "Not much, just trolling on PHO. Parahumans Online. I'm slowly setting up a couple of the annoying posters to get perm-banned."

"What about Bitch?" Alec asked as he decided on Lucky Charms.

"I'm going to suggest she head down the coast to North Carolina. She's a big girl and capable of handling herself. She doesn't have anything to tie her here except for her dogs. And she can take her three trained ones." Lisa sighed as she leaned on her elbow and held her head up with the palm of her face.

"I'm creating a network scanner that might track down Tinker tech networks physical locations. And since I know a bit about how Coil's old one worked, I might be able to track him down. The trickiest part is making it invisible to detection." Arthur frowned and took a bite.

"But your bullshit Trump powers can do it?" the girl asked.

He finished chewing and swallowing. "I think so? His power didn't seem to work so well while I had him tracked and connected to his phone."

"Sounds good to me. I'm going to put on a disguise and go buy a few more games at the stores on this side of town," Alec said. He nodded over to Lisa. "Any way you can make something like she has that can block mind control?"

"Probably? My power might make it weird though. I can suggest what I want to solve, but there are lots of solutions," he explained. "What are you going to do, Lisa?"

"I'm going to try and ferret out where he's going to send his mercs next. If he doesn't make some sort of visible presence downtown, the Empire is going to try and move in and take it away. They really don't like him and now that the PRT knows who he is, it's only a matter of time before they do, too."

Arthur nodded. "I'm going to explore the area a bit and then I'll try to follow up on my virus leads."

"Good. Coil is too dangerous to leave active," the intuitionist said.

* * *

 

"She's hurt bad, sir. We had to shoot her before she could get to one of her dogs," one of Coil's remaining captains explained.

Back in his backup base, Coil frowned minutely at the mistake he made. Two binary choices that happened to come up at the same time. Something he had avoided doing for months. "Neutralize her and dispose of the body." He needed that money that his stocks just made him in this timeline more than a potentially dangerous child, otherwise he could not pay his men in a week. And a few bribes that he needed to make sure his biometrics disappeared out of the PRT's databases before. "Report when you are finished."

He hung up and then picked up phone and dialed a phone number from memory. "Circus."

"Boss. Heard you escaped," the genderfluid cape replied on the other end.

"I've already got my men searching for the rest of the Undersiders and the Tinker. For assets like yourself, I will pay five hundred thousand dollars if you can kill the Tinker or Tattletale."

"The Tinker?" Circus asked.

"No costume or name so far. I will update when we have more information."

"Sure. You'll have my pay in my account on time, right?"

"That is assured. I may have lost resources to the Undersiders, but they only took part of my wealth in their rush." Now if only they had not taken the  _ usable _ wealth, not the assets that he had to liquidate to currency. "I will be informing the other villains of the bounty."

"You are going to have everyone after them as competition. Ah well, it wouldn't be work if it were easy."

Coil hung up and started dialing another number. "Leet."

"Coil," the Tinker replied carefully on the other side.

"How soon do you think you can create the item I requested?" the mastermind villain asked.

"It should work and I'm making it robust and armored enough to take a beating. Might even take out Armsmaster and Kid Win if we can lure them close enough to it," he replied. "Luckily, it's not quite like anything I've ever attempted so it seems to be going well," the Tinker said as he typed and clicked away on his computer's cad program.

"Good." He hung up on the Tinker. He then dialed another number.

* * *

 

Arthur hit the end talk icon with his face blank as he took in the news of Rachel's death from Lisa. His hand started to shake as he put away the burner phone into his front pocket. "Shit."

He continued walking through the rougher neighborhood to the east of their safe house (not hideout nor lair!) Fat snowflakes fell from the sky to clump on his upper body. He continued to meander the hood, noting the tags of red and green. He and his power learned all about cell phone towers and their networks. His scan program picked up some packets that had the extreme encoding he sought.

The signal led down into a worse area of of the area and down narrow alleys.

Two wiry men grabbed him from behind dragged him even deeper down an alley.

"Hey!"

Shish-kump. "This guy looks really normal and boring," a very, very, very large figure covered in armor said.

"Eh, that's good. Means when we get him hooked on the good stuff he'll have money to-"

Arthur decided enough is enough and pushed both of the gangers away from him even as a visor of glass and steel covered his face. "How about I say no?" he tried to quip.

A two hundred pound fist hit Arthur's face with the force of a train's piston and smashed him into a wall.

Catcalls erupted from several people further up the alley.

"Cape! Cape! Cape!" came the chant.

Trainwreck clumped forward to reach through the hole through the brick wall and pluck the cyborg up by his neck and throat. He raised Arthur up to his head so that he could talk to him in privacy.

"Coil sends his regards," the Case 53 mutant cape said in a low voice and started to squeeze.

"And... how about no, again." Arthur opened his eyes and seized control of the steam powered armor. He dropped himself so he land on the ground on his feet. "And what the hell?"

Looking around, he felt his stomach clench in distress as he saw a few strange people. The lead man wore a cheap bandana mask. At his side stood two more figures, one a man made of trash and the second a trashy looking woman with heavy makeup caked on her face. More Merchants stood around them.

"What the goddamn ass fucking shit fuck did you do to that dumbass cunt?" Skidmark asked as he studied the whitey in front of him.

"He's wearing technology and I can control it," Arthur replied truthfully.

"And who the flying fuck are you, cocksucker?" the trampy girl demanded.

Arthur paused in thought a second. "Call me Cybernull." He ordered the armor to eject its owner and watched as the deformed man hit the ground. "Oh, there's the signal." He reached out and took the smartphone from Trainwreck's pocket. 

Then two crates slammed into him on his right side and sent him sprawling and sliding along the ground around a corner. Two earth-shattering booms and pain filled his world as his chest caved in and his arm and leg bent  _ wrong _ in three places. He finished flying through the air by pancaking against a wall.

_ Heal. Heal! HEAL! _ he ordered his cybernetics. He coughed out blood that spilled out the bottom of his cracked visor. "F-fuck-k..."

"Eh, thought I hit him too hard. Guess he was tough enough to take my anti-Lung cannons," Squealer said as she tried to not sound too impressed.

"Ya think, you dumb shit-ass high as a kite cunt? Looked absolutely fucking amazing though. Can you make it hit harder though? Lung will just get pissed at that," Skidmark said as he walked over to the ruined body of Cybernull. "Yo, jackass fucking cracker, you alive?"

"W-why do you care? Your boss want-ts me dead," the broken cape said with his back on the ground.

"I don't have a fucking boss, you dickless wonder," Skidmark snapped out.

"So... why did that guy tell me 'Coil sends his regards'?" Cybernull managed to get out between coughing up blood.

Trainwreck looked over from where he lay as he crawled back to his power armor. "He's fucking lying," the Case-53 shouted.

"Ya know, he could be shit-talking out his pie-hole. But I don't think so. Mush, grab that  _ other _ shithead. We are going to have some words. Whirlygig, watch that crap pile of shit hero and kill him if he fucking moves an inch," Skidmark said as he followed his enforcer over to the newest member.

"This is because I'm a monster, isn't it you fucking asshole?" Trainwreck shouted as he tried to crawl faster.

Mush picked him up with one large fist of trash and slammed him against the wall. "I think you better talk, you fucking dumb ass," he warned.

"You can let him go now, bro," Skidmark ordered. Then he started to layer his vectors down to plaster Trainwreck against the wall. "Cool fucking science shit about my power, it's just like gravity when I have you pinned, cock-sucker. I can just keep increasing it until you go pop like a goddamned fucking zit." He layered another one and increased the force to about four Gs.

"Don't- do- this," Trainwreck begged.

"So fucking Coil..." Skidmark said as doubled the number of his vectors on the ground that pointed at Trainwreck. "Talk like a cock-sucking bastard on heroin, fuck-ugly."

"Hired- me- to- infiltrate- Just- money-" the deformed Tinker managed to get out.

A beam of ingigo-white light shot from the sky and sent Whirlygig through the air with an explosion to land in a pile of garbage. A white wearing woman with a cape shot down from the sky and placed a glowing barrier between her and Cybernull and the Merchants.

"Can you move? I've got backup on the way, but it would better if we can escape," Lady Photon called out over her shoulder.

"I-improving," he replied and then groaned as he rolled onto his side and started to use his good arm to get to his feet. "Thanks."

The large tinker truck of Squealer's skidded around the corner under remote control.

Lady Photon took note of the six inch barrels of the turret on the hood. "We need to leave, now!" she ordered.

Cybernull groaned as he ordered some of his cybernetics to get him out of here. Glowing lines appeared on his skin as he slowly floated off the ground. Lady Photon grabbed his uninjured hand and rocketed into the air just before the truck fired its anti-Lung cannons again. The shells exploded deep inside the abandoned warehouse with a loud boom.

And with that they disappeared into the gray sky.

"Thanks for the rescue. Uh, I'm not a local so I don't know your name." Research. Need to research. He slowly started to figure out how to fly, easing up on her pull on his arm.

"Lady Photon of New Wave. I thought we were a bit more famous than that," she said in an amused tone.

"I'm not really up on recent history and I'm from out west," he explained.

"I thought I heard a midwest accent." She curved their flight towards the main hospital downtown.

"The Rockies act- uh, something like that. Where are we going?" he asked.

"My niece is currently at Brockton Bay General Hospital. I think you could do with some healing," she said with a small smile on her face. "Maybe I can convince Director Piggot to let you finish your repairs with Kid Win's workshop."

"Um, right. Okay." 

They slowed down to land on the helipad on the roof. Well, Lady Photon did as she pulled out her cell phone and sent a quick message. Cybernull floated along, though his broken leg hung more straight than broken. His arm felt nearly healed.

The door opened to allow a shorter girl who wore a white rope with a large and blocky red cross on her chest and back. It's hood fell down her back and the scarf had fallen to around her neck.

"Amy! Here's the injured fellow," Lady Photon called out as she walked to meet her in the middle of the roof.

The dark haired girl nodded to her blonde aunt, then looked closely at the floating figure. "Are you the guy that attacked Oni Lee in the Asian district off of the boardwalk? And then shot Velocity?"

Lady Photon snapped a quick look at him and tensed up to ready for a fight.

"They  _ attacked _ me for wandering out of an alley," Cybernull complained. "I'd just zapped the clone-suicide-teleporter and then this new guy in dark red startled me and I accidentally shot him. I didn't even know I was in Brockton Bay until an hour later."

"So you are not a villain?" the older woman asked.

"Um, no? I've kind of started to try and be a hero. Need to catch Coil again, because I'm pretty sure he wants me and my friends dead," he explained and then accidentally jostled his leg. He failed not quite scream at the pain. "Shit-shit-shit. Stupid regeneration is taking too long."

Panacea trotted over the last fifteen feet. "Do I have your permission to heal you?"

"Yes! Yes," he managed to get out and sort of manfully not sob in pain.

She touched his hand and started to stitch the torn and crushed flesh back together. Should she just replace the bones? Such an odd body-

_ Warning, do not tamper with this drone or you will trigger the 1g antimatter destruct device. Repeat, Warning, do not tamper with this drone or you will trigger the 1g antimatter destruct device, _ an electronic voice said within her head.

Panacea yelped and jumped backward, tripping over the back hem of her robes to land on her back at the mental shout. "What was that?"

"What was what? Is there something wrong with my leg?" Cybernull asked even as he landed and grimaced at the soreness and strangeness of a bent femur. He quickly redirected his cybernetics back to regeneration.

Drone? Panacea mouthed to herself. She suddenly narrowed her eyes at him. "You don't have a Corona Potential or Gemma. How did you end up becoming a cyborg like that?" she demanded.

"I don't know, exactly. Everyone says I disappeared for a week, then reappeared looking like this. Well, without the visor. I still don't know everything I can do, but my new friends called me a cheating Trump." He shrugged at that and held out his hand to help pull Panacea to her feet.

"Someone kidnapped you and did all this?" Lady Photon asked in a clipped and concise way.

"Yeah, even installed psychic shields. L- Tattletale thinks it's to keep anyone  _ else _ from controlling me," Arthur said even as he studied Panacea's worn features. Shadows under her eyes, pale skin and back to almost no expression. "Are you all right?"

"Just a little tired," the girl said as she ignored the empty words, just like everyone else had given her.

Feeling mostly okay at this point, Cybernull retasked all of his cybernetic resource. "Do I have your permission to scan and heal you?"

Panacea's mouth dropped open in shock as she looked totally flummoxed.

"You can say yes, Amy," her aunt said with a smile as she put her hand on the girl's shoulder and patted in a comforting way.

"Aunt Sara?" At a nod of approval, Amy turned back. "Um, yes. I give you permission."

Green beams of light shot from the palm of his hand.

Cybernull frowned as he parsed the information with his limited medical understanding. Mental tampering and depression on top of the exhaustion? It took several tries to retask his cybernetics, but he started to correct the issues with another variation of the nueralizer and cell regenerator. "This might take a few seconds. Do I have your permission to talk about private medical matters with your aunt here?"

The girl bit her bottom lip, forgetting that her scarf lay around her throat. "Auntie, can you give me some room?"

"I'll be just over there," Lady Photon said. "I should call Neil and Carol anyways." She pulled her cellphone out of a hidden pocket at the back of her waist even as she walked back towards the helipad.

"So, you are aware that you suffered from exhaustion, right?" he asked even as he kept working. Not the fastest process in the world.

"Yes, I have insomnia," Panacea admitted.

"Probably due to your stress and depression."

"Depression?" She thought about it for about thirty seconds. "I guess that makes sense. I have been healing a lot, recently."

"Well, I would suggest cutting back to only part time hours-"

"I can't. I- It's just important, so I have to come to heal," she said forcefully as she did not like the direction this conversation meandered.

"Even doctors have to take a break. Not only isn't it healthy, if they make any mistakes they are liable for malpractice  _ when _ they make a mistake. So you should take a few days off. Maybe a week. But that isn't the sensitive part I wanted to bring up," he explained. "I'm almost done with the depression, by the way."

"You can cure depression?" The mousey girl's eyes opened wide. "Could you cure my father? I can't heal brains, so he's suffering."

"Um, sure. After this? I don't really know how to bring this up, but you have been mentally tampered with," Cybernull said.

"What?"

"Some sort of unnatural attraction? It's affecting the subconscious."

Panacea froze, horror appeared on her face. "C-Can you fix it?"

"I did it at the same time as your depression and stress. So it should be gone. I'm just regenerating the exhaustion from your body at this point. I think it's giving you a bit of a tune up, so you might be a bit more active and athletic-"

Panacea... no, Amy, thought about her sister and realized her  _ wrong _ feelings no longer felt overwhelming, out of control. Attraction still existed, but only barely still there. Her love now felt a bit more pure and about _caring_ for her. "I think that you did," she said in a bemused tone.

"Do you need any help with making sure it doesn't happen again? Did someone kidnap you-?"

"No, no! I'm pretty sure it was accidental. I don't think  _ they _ even realized the situation. So please don't tell anyone.  _ Please _ ." Panacea tried to emote how strongly she felt.

"Okay, I guess. So, um, should we go visit your father?" he asked.

"Yes! Yes," she replied with more enthusiasm that she'd felt in ages.

* * *

 

Danny hung up the phone from the law firm. "Well, that's a thing," he muttered to himself even as he tried to push the ability to feel emotions out of his mind. Taylor's emotional state nearly broke his heart.

He stood up from the kitchen table and walked up the stairs and to Taylor's bedroom door. He then knocked. "Taylor?"

"Yeah?" she asked as papers got shuffled around quickly. "You can open the door now."

Her father frowned at her guilt and desperation. "Are you alright?"

She nodded and looked very serious. "Better than I have been. What's up?"

"I was advised by our lawyers to avoid sending you back to Winslow High School. They are drafting up the papers to start the lawsuit against the school. Mrs. Brandt thinks that we can use the first settlement against them to probably get a few million dollars out of them because they failed to stop the bullying. Seeing several teachers ignore the bullying means they willfully endangered you." He gave her a sad smile. "Come on downstairs. I think we need a family meeting."

Taylor followed him downstairs. "So what do you think is going to happen?"

"With the lawsuit? We are going to get you transferred to Arcadia, sue the school district for a lot of money and make sure you are happy with new friends," he said as he sat at the dinner table. Then he sighed as he rubbed his head through his balding hair. "The problem is that I am going to have to get a new job."

The girl jerked her whole body in surprise. "Why? You love the Dock Worker's Union."

"I've been doing some research and I found out that parahumans need to use their powers or they go nuts." Danny swallowed. "And my power is too dangerous."

"Dad, you're a cape?" Taylor asked with incredulous wonder.

"I think I triggered this morning in Blackwell's office. And maybe I can do some good in the world." He sighed.

"T-That must be why I collapsed." Taylor swallowed nervously. "Because I'm a parahuman, too."

"What!?" he cried out. "When? How?"

Taylor looked at the ground. "The locker. Ever since then I can control bugs." She grimaced at that. "Not that it helped get me out of it. It messed me up so badly feeling all the bugs."

"So you haven't run out heroing, have you?" he asked in a joking manner.

"Um, sorta? Not on purpose." She smiled at him and showed her happiness. "When I was out jogging on Monday, I picked up that fight between Oni Lee and a new guy. Poor guy was just minding his own business in the wrong place. I drove off the normal gang members, then decided to head out and ran all the way home. I was hundreds of feet away." She still needed a mask, in case someone spotted her again.

"And you got help with that video?" Danny asked.

"Yeah. Two guys explained how to get the most out of recording that." 

The house phone started to ring, so Danny walked over and picked it up. "Hebert residence. Nice to hear from you again, mayor. Just wish it was for more pleasant reasons."

The mayor? Taylor blinked at that.

"That's very generous, but we are not going to keep quiet over this bullying problem. But I'm sure that Taylor would love to start at Arcadia tomorrow. At least unofficially while you handle the paperwork. I'll let her know. Thanks, Roy." Danny gave her a thumb's up as he hung up. 

"Arcadia!?" Taylor said in a high pitched almost-squeal of joy.

"So you planned to be a hero?" Danny asked as he sat back down at the dinner table.

She nodded in reply. "Ooh, wait here." Taylor ran down into the basement and came back up a minute later. She trotted over and showed him a very small odd shaped, lump of cloth. "This is my spider silk. It's way stretchy, which I think would be bad bulletproof cloth."

"You may need to pre-stretch it out," he mused as he looked at it. "I think you need to make a spool of thread in a form of braiding."

"I'll have to take a look at that," Taylor said as she thought over things.


	5. Interlude 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Muted reactions and a reveal. Ban Hammer?

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**♦Topic: New Parahuman sightings in Brockton Bay**

**In: Boards ► America ► Brockton Bay**

**TimTime**  (Original Poster) (Moderator)

Posted on July 5, 2000:

Post in this thread any of your Parahuman sightings.

 

[EDIT] Remember, this is not the place to discuss anything about a cape's normal identity. In fact, as per board policy, nowhere on PHO is a place to do that. Bans and infractions will be handed out by the gross if need be.

**(Showing Page 75 of 76)**

**► IceOrchidFlame**   (Brocton Bay Native)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

So this weird guy wanders out into ABB territory. He's got bits and pieces of metal in his skin and seems pretty confused. The boyz don't like him at all and he's not acting like a tough one bit. So one of them tries to give him a permanent concussion. And no shits, dents the metal baseball bat. Whitey boy just gives them a confused look. Some of the boyz try to pop him and he ignores that.

[Edit]Then Oni Lee shows up and starts to fight and things get pretty crazy. Even had these swarms of bugs biting everyone. Dumbshit must be a pretty tough Brute, man, because he ignored just about everything that Oni Lee threw at him and started shooting back with some whack ray gun. He finally tagged Oni Lee.

And then the idiot shoots Velocity and apologizes for shooting a hero. He finally books it out of our hood. Man, what a putz.

**► SamSane**

Replied on January 27, 2011:

Well, he may be an idiot, but he's a tough idiot! So he's a 'whitey', eh?

 **► TBJones**   (Verified PRT Agent)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

While an investigation is ongoing, it does appear that the new cape (who did not even have a mask) managed to take out Oni Lee, Velocity and about six civilians while he inflicted about thirty thousand dollars in damages to the road and cars.

As always, the PRT cautions people about approaching any new parahumans or suspected parahumans. While this guy appears to unwilling to hurt people, that can change at any time.

 **► Brainicus**   (Cape Groupie) (Power Guru)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

So do we get to name him Maskless Zap-Brute?

:P

**► JameTiger22**

Replied on January 27, 2011:

Really, Brainicus? That's a horrible name. I swear you have no imagination except when talking about powers.

Just no, don't go there and don't try to go there.

 **► Cybernull**   (Unverified Cape)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

Sorry about that (and sorry, Velocity) but I literally woke up in that alley and had no idea what city I was in. I didn't want to start anything, but that guy tried to kill me with a baseball bat. Then it got all confused and chaotic and I had accidently stunned a villain and a hero (of which I knew of neither) so I figured I better leave.

I'm going to have to find some time later to video me shooting something with my stunner to prove I'm me.

 **► Batarappe**   (Veteran Member)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

That's really dangerous to claim to be a cape if you aren't. So why didn't you post here on Monday?

 **► Cybernull**   (Unverified Cape)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

Tinker fugue is what someone explained it to me. After everything on Monday, I came to days later.

I'm pretty sure I'm not a very good Tinker tho'.

**End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 73, 74, 75, 76**

* * *

 

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**♦Topic: Brockton Bay happenings (Thread #4)**

**In: Boards ► Places ► America ► Brockton Bay**

**Alathea**  (Original Poster) (Moderator) (Veteran Member)

Posted on January 27, 2011:

Post here about major parahuman events.

No, this does not include spotting Photon Mom at the grocery store.

**(Showing Page 22 of 26)**

**► Rutterbagga**   (Veteran Member)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

So any more news about what happened with Coil and the Protectorate crashing his base and capturing most of his mooks? It's been most of the week and nothing new has been posted.

I'm jonsing here.

 **► Bagrat**   (The Guy In The Know) (Veteran Member) (Banned)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

The only really telling clue is that Director Piggot was not the one to release any information, but that the Director Armstrong of Boston's PRT. He would only take over if some sort of Master/Stranger situation came out.

Sounds like he had people inside the PRT here in Brockton Bay.

 **► Reinhart1009**   (PRT Official)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

The PRT is not able to make any comments about the exact situation on Monday, but we can talk about the villain Coil whom we captured and raided his base. His escape does show that he is more dangerous than anticipated. If you have any information, please contact the PRT immediately.

Coil is speculated to be a Thinker 6+, Master 0 and Tinker 0. We believe he leveraged using his ill-understood Thinker ability to make a lot of money and pretty much bought himself his own gang. He has well equipped mercenaries with light tinker-tech weapons (lasers) and is known to have had parahumans under his employ.

 **► AllSeeingEye**   (Verified Cape)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

Hey, all! This is Tattletale and ex-Undersider, a parahuman girl that Coil kidnapped off the street and forced to work for him at gun point!

Coil's real name is Thomas Calvert, and he is a dick who used to work for the PRT, so they are covering up that fact because he was pretty high rank and still had high security clearance as a contractor. He even wrote a lot of their security policies.

And no, the unwritten rules don't cover him. He kidnapped me and Cybernull off the street in our civilian lives. Fuck him.

Oh, and Cybernull says he can keep this post up for at least a week. Because screw cover-ups that let scum like Coil stay out on the loose. 

 **► Alathea**   (Original Poster) (Moderator)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

Revealing a cape's civilian name is against the rules and as soon as someone can figure out what Cybernull did, that post and you are going to be banned so hard your grandchildren will feel it.

 **► Cybernull**   (Verified Cape)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

Sorry, Alathea, but the PRT was only trying to cover up Coil because he should never have been allowed to sneak into any sort of position in the PRT. And since it makes them look bad, they want it to disappear even if it allows this psychopath to be loose in Brockton Bay.

The only reason I don't have a gun up against my head is that he thought I was a young kid that had just triggered as a Tinker, when I'm really sort of a Brick (edit: Brute) and he let me get into his computer systems. Like Tattletale said, he's a cold blooded murderer that thinks nothing of kidnapping teen capes off the street to use.

 **► Bagrat**   (The Guy In The Know) (Veteran Member) (Banned)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

Um, holy $%@.

And I think Tattletale and Cybernull are probably in the clear because Coil broke the unwritten rules first. This is like a pretty big bombshell. Can we get a PRT response about the fact that they are accusing Coil of being in the PRT? Because that's some seriously bad news.

Are we going to have to have Panacea scan everyone that works at the PRT for powers?

 **► Reinhart1009**   (PRT Official)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

The PRT categorically denies that we have any intention of covering up that Coil had (as in past tense before he was caught) worked for the PRT. It does point out that we need to revamp our security to counter any sort of infiltration.

You two are walking a very fine line here. The PRT is willing to try to clear up your criminal records due to the actions of Coil, but hacking across state lines and revealing secret identities is pretty far out of line.

 **► xX_Void_Cowboy_Xx**   (Banned)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

Of course the deputy director of the Brockton Bay is going to say there's no cover up. I'm sure they planned to release the information 'tomorrow'. Just like Winslow was going to fix its bullying problem tomorrow.

That Cybernull kid looks pretty young, do you think he's in junior high or something? Man, I wish Tattletale went to my school, but the only ones that are that hot here are the bullies that got arrested.

 **► LithiumSnakeDreams**   (Moderator)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

Enjoy your 48 hour ban, Void. You've been warned about even talking about any capes' identities. I mean, you could have legitimately actually talked about Coil's since he's been outed.

 **► TrapDevil55**   (Cape Groupie)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

Wow, this is nuts. I looked up some (public) information on this Calvert guy. He's one of two people that survived Nilbog, the other being our own Director Piggot.

There's something that sounds a lot like he was drummed out with an 'honorable' discharge, but considering it was like only a month after they survived, I suspect another coverup.

 **► GloryGirl**   (Verified Cape) (New Wave)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

Huh. Panacea didn't mention anything about this after she healed you. So Trainwreck tried to kill you during that Merchant initiation? You are lucky to be alive.

Us Brutes have to stick together!

 **► MikeClays1050**   (Power Guru)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

After talking on the Powers Board, we're pretty sure that Tattletale is some sort of Thinker. Coil's power must have trumped her's somehow.

Cybernull we aren't totally sure. We've got Brute (5?) and Blaster 3. He says he's not a good Tinker, but any Tinker can go a long way. Sounds like he can hack like you wouldn't believe, too. So maybe another Thinker? Sounds like he trumped Coil though. I heard he was spotted flying around with New Wave, too.

 **► Panacea**   (Verified Cape) (New Wave)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

He can fly and he offered to heal me up from some exhaustion and stress. That sort of shocked me, but it was nice to be on the other end of being healed. He also helped with some other healing that I can't do with New Wave. I'd like to call him a friend, though I'm a little worried about him outing Coil's secret ID.

If he was kidnapped off the street though, he's right that the unwritten rules don't protect Coil. I think New Wave is going to look at helping to take him down if we can find him.

Finding him seems to be the hard part.

 **► Zach5454**   (Veteran Member) (Cape Groupie) (Power Guru) (Know It All)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

So he can fly? That's what, Mover 4 at least? Sheesh. And heal? Sounds more and more like a Trump of some sort.

 **► StarLord69**   (Power Guru)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

Just because he has a lot of powers doesn't make him a Trump or the second coming of Eidolon. Jeez, Zach.

**End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26**

* * *

Arthur frowned as he opened another tab as he kept track of everyone talking about his new 'secret' ID.

"Hey, can I have my laptop back?" Lisa asked as she walked out of the kitchen.

"Sure, no problem. You are pretty sure that no one's going to come down on us for outing Coil, right?" he asked as he quickly logged out. He needed to get his own computer ASAP.

"The admins on PHO are pissed off, but it needed to happen. If the PRT had their way, no one would know about the 'blot' on their honor," Lisa said as her lips curled into a small snarl. She tapped her headband. "They are mega pissed that we locked them out of editing that post."

"And they'll try to replace their main server on Monday, right?" Arthur asked. He could just hack the new server. The neat trick would be doing it as they set it up. That would _really_ annoy them, he thought.

"Eh, the main admin of PHO might just tell them to back off," the blonde girl said as she flounced onto the couch with the notebook as she logged in. "Say, your power allows you to modify materials to improve them or make a similar element or material, right?"

"Huh?" Arthur asked eloquently. "Maybe, I hadn't thought of that."

Someone knocked on the front door and prompted Arthur to check the door and open it. "Hi, Taylor. Come on it."

"Um, hi." Taylor closed the door behind her. She stuck her hands in her pocket and with her left hand, played with the small sample of spider silk. "So any luck with tracking down coil?"

"I've got an area on the other side of downtown to check out. It's technically Empire Eighty-Eight territory. But that's actually a sneaky thing to do. How likely are people to search their own territory for their enemy?" Arthur said.

Lisa played with her torc-like headband. Her smile turned nasty even as she turned it down. "It's him, all right. He'll be watching for us to check out the location. It's going to take a few days to get a more bulletproof outfit than the ones we have."

"And his guys have lasers," Arthur noted as he sat on the couch.

"No way can I get my outfit ready," Taylor said as she pulled out her latest sample of her spider silk. "It's going to be weeks to finish and I'm going to be starting at Arcadia High School tomorrow."

"What's that?" the only male asked.

"Oh, spider silk. I finally figured out how to pre-stretch it and it's supposed to be just about bulletproof, though I think I want some armored plates on top of it."

Arthur took it and considered matters. Could he synthesize it?

Lisa blinked, then grinned as she ran into her bedroom. She came out a moment later and threw a pair of her silk, black panties at him.

"Now you are doing that just to get a reaction out of me. No, not just get a reaction-"

"Transmute that into something like spider silk from good old fashioned worm silk," she said as she rolled her eyes at him. She went back to typing on the notebook on the couch.

"Hmm. My scanners say it is doable. Though it's calling it neo-spider silk. About 50% tougher than regular spider silk. Say, Taylor?"

"Yeah?" the other girl asked as she tried to look away from him holding the sheer pair of panties.

"Where's the nearest clothing store? Silk isn't that expensive," he noted. "Did you want your outfit in dark green or black?"

"Maybe both? How long would it take to make some outfits?" Taylor asked.

"A day or so, especially if I use my molecular enhancer to cheat a lot," he replied as he finished 'upgrading' the silk garment. He tossed it at Lisa's face and then went into the kitchen to get a knife. He then held the knife out to the sputtering girl. "Try to cut it now."

"You actually armored my panties! Bwahahaha!" the girl said as Taylor grinned in the background. Lisa took the knife and tried to stab or cut the black silk. "Nothing. Barely a mark. I _like_ it!"

Arthur just sighed as he rubbed her forehead. Even if he didn't have a headache.

"Just need armor inserts," Taylor said as she thought over things. "We can do it quick, can't we?"

The door opened to admit the disguised Alec (with a light brown wig and a jacket that made him look much bigger). He had a bag of munchies in one hand and a bag of video games in the other. He looked over them. "You guys are being weird again, aren't you?"

"Light, bulletproof armors before we go take out Coil again?"

"Okay, not weird. How long?" he asked.

"Just a day or so."

"So, um, if I knew another hero that could help, would it be okay to let them know about us?" Taylor asked.

Lisa looked up at her. "You have got to be kidding. Your father?"

"What?" Alec and Arthur exclaimed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Choppy currents churn and flow under the placid waters under the moonlight darkly.

Amy Dallon looked at herself in the mirror on her closet door and felt _alright_ with herself for once. Yes, her sister Vicky still looked better and could be a model with only a little effort. But she no longer had this gnawing wrongness that wanted to focus on punishing herself. And she looked more rested, better than ever. She gave herself a small smile.

Three quick knocks sounded on her door. "Amy! Are you ready? Dean wants me to hang out with him while you talk to Piggy."

"Come in." The younger sister winced as she felt Vicky's aura hit her. "Vicky, your aura!" she snapped out.

"Oh, sorry." The blonde frowned as she studied her sister. "You've never been bothered by my aura before."

Amy clutched at the white robes of her outfit. This conversation needed to happen, but she did not look forward to it. "I- Close the door, Vicky. What we have to talk about is very private."

"Huh?" She did as requested and then moved to flop on her sister's bed. "What's going on?"

"I told you about that guy last night, but I didn't say everything because Carol... wouldn't understand. He not only healed dad's depression, he cured mine, too. And removed a compulsion from a Master."

Vicky stared at her a second and then floated into the air with a snap as her face showed her abject hatred. "Who the fuck did that?" she said as she let her aura loose. "I'm going to-"

"Stop. And stop with your aura again. Before you say something you are going to regret. The... Master didn't realise they did anything. It was accidental." Amy gulped and swallowed. She continued in a much softer voice. "She didn't realize her aura could make permanent changes."

Her sister's eyes widened. "But-but you said you were immune!"

"I wasn't. How could I be immune if I could feel it? I did some thinking and I don't think we know as much about your power as we think we do. Because I never felt awe or fear, but only, uh, overwhelming love. So I think people that you really love basically feel love, too."

"So, it's not just two things. And if it isn't two things, then it could be many different things," Vicky said as she puzzled through it.

"Most people you don't know well are either people to protect or enemies, so those are the two most common things you broadcast. I wonder what your target would feel if you held them in contempt or disgust?" Amy gave her a small grin. "Or had a little hero worship?"

"Oh, god. I'm going to have to pull back my aura even more. This is fucked up," Vicky said as her feet touched the ground.

"I think I got it worst because I'm so close to you all the time." Amy shrugged. "But I feel _much_ better."

Vicky narrowed her eyes at her sister. "You said it was a compulsion. But you are acting normal."

Amy gave her a smirk. "Well, I couldn't tell my sister I had this massive lust for her body, could I?"

"Oh, god. I did not need to know what." Vicky fell back onto Amy's bed while covering her face with her hands. "I guess we owe Cybernull another one."

"I don't think he really cares. But we really should get to the PRT Headquarters." Amy checked to make sure she had her wallet, keys and phone.

"So what are you going to talk to her about?" Vicky asked as they left her bedroom.

"Something dangerous about Cybernull," she replied as she followed.

"Say what?"

"I can't say. At least not yet."

* * *

Emily Piggot shuffled papers into a folder and set it in her out basket. Someone knocked at her door. "Enter," she called out even as she checked for the pistol attached under her desk in a leather holster.

The PRT trooper at her door opened it. "Panacea to see you, ma'am. Oscar-Victor-X-ray."

"Thank you, Porter." Piggot turned her focus to the girl that walked into the room.

"Thanks," Panacea said to the guard even as she turned to take a seat. "Will Armsmaster be here like I asked?"

"He ran into a delay and will be a few minutes." The stout, blonde woman studied the girl from her imposing office chair. Panacea looked better, at least. "You seem to be a little more healthy and relaxed." Always best to be polite as that would make things easier.

Panacea frowned, though you could not see it behind her scarf. "Cybernull cured my depression when he gave me a heal." She snickered to herself. "That really threw me for a loop."

"So what is your impression of him?" Piggot asked with her eyes darkly intent.

"Young, but acted a little older. And after some thought, I'm pretty sure he's some sort of technology Trump."

"What do you mean?" the director asked.

She gave the older woman a shrug. "His cybernetics in his hand reshaped itself to scan and then heal me with some sort of regeneration beam. And Lady Photon said he started to float along by himself."

"So he can grant himself 'powers' by changing his technology within his body. Flight, rays, controlling technology..." Piggot frowned, as Cybernull was a security nightmare waiting to happen. No, already happening, just not focused directly at the PRT.

Another knock at the door interrupted them. "Armsmaster to see you, ma'am. Papa-Whiskey-Yankee," the guard called out.

"Thanks again, Thompson," she said.

Armsmaster nodded to the guard and walked over to stand by the desk. "Director. Panacea. What is the important matter you wished to bring up in person?" he said in his clipped tone.

"It's concerning Cybernull. After that Merchant ambush, I healed him up again even though he would have eventually recovered on his own. I had thought about replacing the metal femur he had when I received a, well, telepathic warning."

"He's a telepath?" Piggot asked sharply even as she clutched at the edge of her desk.

Panacea shook her head. "I don't think so. Or more that he hasn't tried, if his technology would allow it. But that might be the thing, it may not be _his_ technology."

"What do you mean?" Armsmaster asked with a frown.

"The warning I got was about tampering with the _drone_ would trigger the one gram of antimatter destruct device. Not _self-destruct_ , just destruct by itself. And he doesn't have a Corona Potential or Gemma," she explained as she played with the robes on her lap.

Armsmaster blinked, then quickly used his secure connection to PRT databases to recheck his off the cuff recall on antimatter with his onboard computer through his HUD.

"A drone?" Piggot asked. "So there's some benefactor behind him? That is a new can of unpleasant worms to open up."

"Director, we need to... make sure that Cybernull's cybernetics are not compromised anywhere near civilization. That much antimatter is more than enough to devastate Brockton Bay. The only person that I think might survive is Glory Girl," Armsmaster said in an abrupt matter. "If it is not a bluff, we are looking at a large scale nuclear event. Roughly forty-eight megatons of energy."

"What?" Panacea squeaked out. She nearly killed _everyone ?_

"And he's acting like a hero." Even if they offered him a place in the Wards, she'd ship him off some place far away if she had _any_ say.

"He was nice enough," Panacea admitted. "I needed the healing and he helped Flashbang with a long term health issue that I could not help with." They even traded phone numbers.

Armsmaster tilted his head slightly at that lie. "Anything else?"

"Lady Photon mentioned he was from out west, probably the Rocky Mountains. He didn't know about New Wave, which is weird," the girl replied.

"She mentioned that in an email she sent. Thank you for letting us know about this and being discrete," Piggott said and nodded to her.

Panacea stood up. "Um, well... I guess I should probably go check to see if any of the Wards or troops need any help." She narrowed her eyes slightly as she noticed how haggard the director looked. "Did you need any healing, director?"

"Too much paperwork and I'd have to undergo Master/Stranger protocols for over six hours at a minimum," the older woman said with a hint of hostility. Damn masters like Teacher.

"Oh," she replied.

"Which just means we should schedule it in advance. Not being dependent on dialysis and wasting several hours a day would make it well worth it," Armsmaster said suddenly, quite to the surprise of Piggott. "It would be quite an improvement." And more than _just_ efficient.

Piggott held back her glare at Armsmaster. "We will discuss that later."

"Thank you and goodbye," Panacea said as she stood up to leave.

She had to go back to the bottom floor and then take the special elevator back up to the Wards' section of the building. Not as nice as their part of the Rig had been, but much easier to get to.

Her escort had her wait the two minutes for the Wards to 'mask up' before they allowed her to enter.

"Hello, Panacea!" Vista called out as she gave a casual wave from the den area. The TV on behind her had some action show.

"Hello, Vista." She looked around. "Where did they sneak off to?" She did _not_ sigh.

"Gallant's room. They think they are  being sneaky." The younger girl gave her a smirk. "And quiet."

"Vicky! I didn't come here so you get hot and heavy with your boy," Panacea said in a loud voice with only a twinge of jealousy.

"...shit..."

The rustling of clothing heralded their return to the main room, Vicky looked over at the large clock on the wall. "Dang, I guess it has been that long." She looked over at her armored wearing (sans helmet) boyfriend. "So Le Petit Cochon for next Tuesday?"

"You do know that I'm going to have to wear a suit, right?" Dean noted in quiet exasperation.

A pulse of Vicky's aura hit them with a feeling of goodness, only to be dampened down. "Dammit. This is a lot harder that it looks," she muttered to herself.

"Thank you for trying, Vicky," Panacea said.

"It's kind of weird and I feel a bit more tingly than normal," she complained.

"Is that even a word? Really?" Panacea asked as they headed to the roof.

Dean just shook his head at the two. Something good must have happened to Amy to be making such lively comments.

* * *

James Match leaned up against the wall about ten feet away from the entrance of Harvey's Pool Hall and Bar. He pulled a drag from his cigarette as he watched the road. Bored out of his mind, he watched two girls as they walked down the street on the near side to pass by his location. Not quite twins, as the one girl's face looked softer and she had dark brown hair instead of black.

"Um, hello?" Taylor asked as she tried to not freak out a bit.

James raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? Whatcha want?" At least they were white.

"What's that construction going on over there?" she asked as her disguised teammate.

Arthur studied the construction site even as 'she' hacked the local cell phone tower and landline node. She kept most of her power tasked with invisibly accessing all of the logs while checking to see how hacked the systems were.

"Endbringer shelter. Not that it will really stop an Endbringer, of course. It just keeps you from being accidently oopsed by being within two blocks of one. So what brings you down here?" the E88 thug asked.

"We're looking for a second hand shop, the Hail Mother Mercy? It's supposed to be down this road, right?" Arthur asked with their prepared 'reason'.

"Good people doing god's good work. Don't let any of those Asian filth in, either," he replied with a big smile. He noted they both looked uncomfortable at his comment. Damn race traitors. Although they looked like they might be Jewish.

"Oh, thanks!" Taylor said as they started to walk down the street. "Remind me why you are in disguise as my nonexistent sister?"

"Because Coil's probably watching for a young teen boy walking around here. Both of us will throw off anyone watching because we're two people and we're girls. Trust me, this is sorta freaking me out here."

"Well, my bugs are picking up a smaller base than what you described. The Endbringer shelter is on the east side, while the secret base goes under the building on the north east side of the lot." Taylor continued to walk while laying out the entire base with her bugs.

"I have eyes on a man in Coil's costume. I can only send snapshots every minute due to data bandwidth limitations while hacking." Arthur tapped a button to send the first picture to Lisa.

Taylor nodded even as she pushed her glasses back up nose. "He's only got a few mercenaries with him."

"Any skinny guys in any of the other offices?" Arthur asked in suspicion. A moment later, Lisa texted 'Not him.'

"How did you know?" the real girl asked.

"He probably made sure to remove any cameras. #4 is inactive and unplugged. And someone tattled." Arthur narrowed her brown eyes. "Can you hear him talking?"

"Yeah, but it gives me a headache trying to listen to it through my bugs," she complained as she glared at thin air.

"I'll have to give you some listening devices to have your swarm place." Arthur looked at the second hand store as they turned the last corner. "That's... ominous. How is that not condemned?"

"Looks like it got hit by a truck. A _flying_ truck," Taylor said as she studied the crumpled corner of the building while they continued to walk up to it.

"Funny you should say that, because that's pretty close to what happened. Rune got into a fight with some Merchants," a teen girl said where she leaned against the wall in an alley near the store. The platinum blonde tapped the cinders off her cigarette and stuffed it back into a baggie in her purse. She spritzed a little perfume on her collar. "Come on, my cousin gets upset if I'm outside too long."

The two of them followed the girl inside.

"Morgan..." a twenty year old woman started to speak angrily, only to shift gears into sales mode at the sight of customers. "Sorry about that. How can I help you?"

"We're just shopping for some clothes," Taylor said.

"Hoodies. Maybe a jacket," Arthur said as 'she' moved further into the store.

Morgan led them to the back. "It's usually better late saturday or early monday morning. Most people donate on the weekend when they are moving," she explained even as she showed her incredible boredom.

Taylor found another gray hoodie, with only a small hole on one sleeve. Even as she browsed for clothing, she continued to map out the base and everything within it.

Coil only thought he was safe.

* * *

Lisa stared at the man across the dinner table as Alec continued to play his game or checked his smart phone.

"So... about leadership?" she asked.

"Let's get to know one another and find out how far we can trust each other. While I might be in charge of hiring at the Dock Workers union, that's not exactly a supervillain gang," Danny said in his best negotiating face.

"We're not villains any more. Grue used to be leader, so we don't really have anyone in charge right now. I'm not really very good at fighting directly," Lisa explained even as an idle thought wondered about her torc and if that might allow a little extra zing.

"I grew up on the docks and only lucked out by graduating and getting a degree at Brockton Bay College. I... I know how to fight a bit and I think I get something back from the people I control."

Three masters. They had _three_ masters on this team. Lisa swiped her finger along the end of the torc, sharpening her power for a few seconds and then back down to regenerate from the sharp stabs of pain. "You're right, you do. You can take a normal person and turn them into into a Brute 1 or 2 while they are under your control. And you get some feedback from that, making you a bit tougher for each person you control. It's more potent than I thought. We need to get your some better bulletproof armor and a costume. Maybe a club or brass knuckles." She tapped her finger on her chin as she thought pretty hard. "Can you get some time off tomorrow to help us take down Coil? If all five of us attack at the right time, we can cripple his organization." She gave a smirk as she said in a steady, confident and slightly louder voice. "And we've even got eyes on Coil now."

Alec looked over, raising an eyebrow and then turned back to his game. "Shit! You got me killed!"

"I'm not the one being distracted from your game." She stuck her tongue out at him. Jerk.

"What time are you thinking of?" Danny asked as he realized that he was _really_ going to do this crazy thing.

"Probably about noon." Lisa took a moment, as if she tried to remember something. "Alec, did you eat the last of the potato chips?"

"I thought they were too many calories or something?" he called back as he continued to kill demons on the screen.

"I'm going to be burning more than enough calories tomorrow." She frowned. "Well, I'm going to the corner market to get something for myself."

"You don't want pizza?" the younger teen asked her in confusion.

"We had pizza last night."

"I'll walk you to at least my house," Danny offered as he stood up and settled his jacket back on.

"Whatever." Alec waited until the door closed before he took out his phone. He tapped a short message onto the screen. _Tomorrow, noon._

_Understood. Twenty-thousand and a guarantee that your father will get a rumor that you surfaced in Arizona._

"Right," the teen muttered, feeling a twinge of fear. He sent another message.  _Just be ready._

He erased his message thoroughly so that no records of it existed on his phone. He had no doubts that Lisa knew how to unlock it. But she had a hard time reading his emotions due to his past trauma, Alec knew.

Down the street, Lisa turned to Danny. "So, do you know some people that you trust with your life? Because having some people under your control voluntarily could be big. They can wear some kevlar vests and ski masks."

Danny stared down at the wet ground as fluffy snowflakes drifted down from the sky. "I know a couple of people. They might even be crazy enough to go along with a plan to attack a villain in his own base."

Lisa gave him a quick one armed hug. "Don't worry. We can take him. Promise!"


	7. Chapter 7

"I miss Rachel," Regent complained in the back of a 'new' car as Arthur drove them across town as the drizzle of rain started to turn into snowflakes. "This is boring. And why are we heading out four hours early?"

Tattletale in everything but her domino mask sighed. "Because we need to make sure to block off escape routes and that's going to take a while."

"And the father-daughter dork duo are going to show up on their own?" Regent asked as he lounged in the back seat while not wearing a seatbelt.

"Taylor mentioned going over to her new school sometime today and get a tour. Even with the mayor pushing them to transfer, he can't force the school to accept them without someone doing paperwork," Arthur said as he signaled a lane change as he showed an easy competence of a practiced driver.

The turned the right corner to start travelling up a road parallel to their target. A large, open field lay between them and the construction site of Fortress Construction. Arthur pulled over to park on the road opposite the field.

"Okay, guys, time to mask up," Lisa ordered as she put her mask on.

Arthur's shapeshifting power stumbled on activating, taking twenty seconds to shift into the glass visor. He thought the black bodysuit, combat boots and basic leather jacket looked professional. Even if he had a utility belt. He certainly did not stare at Tattletale's new version of her bodystocking. The neo-spidersilk did not hug as tight and elastically as her last outfit, but the color, pattern and symbol matched her old outfit exactly. She had her own belt with a pistol holstered.

Regent wore his old outfit over the black bodysuit as he claimed he didn't want to ruin perfection. He led them across the street while they ducked the few cars in traffic and past a mid-size cargo van from a local plumbing company plastered on its side in all its faded, peeling glory.

Half an hour later of sneaking through the construction yard, they looked down a ramp into an empty, underground parking garage from behind some shipping containers.

"So now we wait for three more hours in the cold and snow? This plan sucks," Regent said as he peeked around a corner.

Two prongs jabbed into his right leg and unleashed a full two second trigger of a stun gun.

"Here is where I disable you while we take out Coil," Tattletale said as she leaned over and slammed a injector gun up to his neck and triggered it.

"Fuck, you knew the whole time," the younger teen managed to say as he lay in the cold, wet and freezing mud.

"Don't worry, once we take out Coil, you're free to go-" she said only to get interrupted by a deafening clang as a shipping container opened like a magician's trick box to show a large tower of Tinkertech. "Oh, dammit."

A coruscating sphere of energy erupted from the device and Tattletale heard the pop of her earbud radio die and Cybernull slumped down to the ground at her feet while she felt her power return to its default state as her power torc failed. _Crapppp!_

An even dozen of Coil's mercenaries exited three different containers around them.

"Coil sends his regards. Accord's plan worked perfectly, even if you did show up a lot earlier than expected," the leader of the troops said with a sneer in his voice. "He just wanted me to tell you that you now get to have _candy._ "

Tattletale froze at that as her power filled in the blanks of the insinuation. _Fuck!_

"Cuff them all. Even Regent," the troop leader called out.

"You bastard!" Tattletale yelled as she moved over as if to try and help her downed teammate and then whispered, "Try to absorb the energy as fast as possible."

One of Coil's soldiers kicked her side with his shin. "No talking!" he barked out even as he started to put very heavy restraints on Cybernull. He then took off the belt and found the hidden ray gun.

Behind him, Tattletale found herself handcuffed and disarmed. Rough hands grabbed them by their upper arms and dragged them two hundred feet away and down into the unfinished parking garage.

They were forced to their knees as a huge, hidden door opened and six more mercenaries walked out with a tall, skeletal man wearing a black, form-fitting outfit with a snake tracing itself from one foot and up to his head in a meandering path.

"Tattletale," Coil said in a cold voice. "How nice of you to return and show your loyalty. And a very irritating boy. So... Cybernull, do you have any last words to say?"

The cyborg raised up his head to glare at him. "What should I say? That I'm sorry?"

"Captain Adams, charge up your heavy laser rifle and give Brockton Bay a little taste of what it means to break my rules," Coil ordered one of his mercenaries who carried a much larger weapon.

"A pleasure, sir. Should only take a minute to fully charge."

The sound of the Tinker Tech rifle charging filled the air as a power indicator filled on the side of the large rifle. Adams pointed it at Cybernull's head from only six inches away.

* * *

 

The living room lay disarrayed with Alec's games scattered over couch and floor.

"Where are their computers?" one of Coil's men demanded of their leader.

"Maybe they took them in their car?" the captain asked of himself. "Doesn't matter. Is the package ready?"

The demolitions specialist nodded. "Ready to trigger on your command."

The captain walked out the door while pulling the sky mask up to make it look like a regular winter hat. "In the car, ladies," he said in a mocking tone.

They looked around in care, not seeing anyone moving around in the snow storm at nine o'clock in the morning. They loaded into the back of the white van (universally ignored by everyone, of course) and slowly drove down the street.

"If you are going to trigger that, it needs to be soon. The package's receiver isn't _that_ good," the demolitions expert called out.

He shook his head in annoyance even as he pulled out the remote and toggle the safety. "Boom," he said as he pulled the 'trigger'.

The house behind them disappeared in an explosion that heavily damaged the neighboring houses. Smoke drifted high up into the gray-white sky.

* * *

 

Coil's executioner pulled the trigger. Or, to be more accurately, _tried_ to pull the trigger only to feel it wiggle a little bit. He checked the safety and the readouts, both which looked fine.

To everyone's surprise, a heavy truck flew over the top end of the ramp and landed with a screech of rubber as the tires grabbed traction and it turned towards Coil's soldiers and the captured heroes. The mercenaries scattered to avoid being run over. Rabble Rouser (aka Danny Hebert) opened the driver's door and dropped out to land on his construction boot's treads and with a wrench, pulled the door off to use as a shield. His bkack trenchcoat and fedora (with a Zorro mask) looked almost professional.

"Brute!" the mercenary captain shouted in alarm even as he noted another six people rolling out of the back of the truck.

Coil looked around as he ducked behind his men.

A rough looking woman with a homemade bandana mask, construction clothes and a bulletproof vest snarled in released anger as she charged the nearest mercenary smashed his gun with her metal baseball bat. It went crunch in a very satisfying manner. She then kicked him and he staggered back from the more than human strength. "Goddamned villain pukes," she shouted as she charged him and swung again to break his upper arm and send him to the ground.

The soldiers quickly found out that all of the newcomers had minor brute strength and could take a shot or two. The captain spotted a discharge of energy around Cybernull as he stood up, a glowing wall appearing between Tattletale and most of the soldiers. Coil took that as his cue to flee through the entrance.

"I could use a hand here," Tattletale called out as she ducked behind the energy barricade. She winced as the sound of the heavy brute bindings breaking with a squeal of tortured metal. Cybernull walked over and pinched the handcuff chain-links apart.

"Good to go?" Cybernull asked as he made sure to keep his body in between her and the mercenaries on this side of the energy shield.

Bugs flowed out of vents and sewer grates despite the chilling cold and started to swarm the mercenaries that moved to counter attack. Screams started to fill the air and the hero group and their minions moved to finish the fight.

The massive, secret door started to close only to start to open wide. A mass of bug formed in the shape of a person and moved into the room. With a boom, antipersonal charges went off, killing the 'person' quite loudly.

Rabble Rouser smacked his last mercenary hard to send him to the ground and tossed aside the truck door. He put his hand to his ear. "Swarm says there are more explosive in the anteroom."

Tattletale tossed Cybernull his energy pistol as she grabbed her own gun. "Can you disable them?"

He looked at the entrance. "Yes, I think so. But what if I get taken out and you guys have to retreat?"

"A valid point," the blonde said.

"It sounds like we should trigger them, then," a woman's voice said from the end of the ramp.

"Lady Photon?" Rabble Rouser called out in surprise as he craned his neck.

The flying, glowing superhero smiled. "It appears you have a few friends, Cybernull. The rest of New Wave are on their way as quickly as possible, thanks to Lady Stinger giving us a call."

He nodded in return. "We're called Apexius now. Lady Stinger is at range disrupting their cameras and giving us intel. This is Tattletale, that's Rabble Rouser and his friends."

"They aren't heroes?" she asked as she relaxed unconsciously.

One of them smirked. "Sorry, we don't have superpowers normally, but with RR's little help, we are some low level brute minions."

"We are not minions. Villains have minions. Heroes have support or backup," the female of the group complained.

"Backup? I like that?" one of them said.

Lady Photon raised an eyebrow. Finally, she gave a low whistle. "You have a Trump ability. That's kind of rare."

"Can we focus on capturing Coil first?" Tattletale asked in an angry tone.

The leader of New Wave raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I guess we should. I'll raise a barrier if you can trigger the explosives.

Cybernull made another wall with his forcefield even as Lady Photon created a barrier above the ground. He stared at the floor for a second, then triggered all of the explosives in the ground. The earth shook and a hammer of pressure cracked Lady Photon's wall and nearly overwhelmed Cybernull's backup protection.

"The bastard really wants to kill us all," Rabble Rouser said in an angry voice even as he tapped his earbud. "Lady Sting, situation update."

Outside and looking at the first secret exit over a hundred feet away, his daughter tapped the communication device in her ear. "I'm starting to block the other four entrances and making them visible with bug markers from the air. There are still at least twenty more people inside."

Tattletale clicked the safety to off on her pistol. "Lady Photon, can you have some of the other members of New Wave start to move in through the other entrances?" The younger blonde then adjusted her power torc to regeneration mode.

The more experienced hero nodded. "I'll get that headed up. Are you sure you have found all of them?"

"Lady Stinger is sure. Let's go bust a bastard's head," Rabble Rouser ordered.

At that, Lady Photon shot out of the parking garage and back into the sky.

'Backup' moved with him even as they muttered and psyched themselves up. The red haze filled the corner of their vision and they went from just strong to _superhuman._

Cybernull trotted past them even as he overlaid infravision. "Three guys setting up something around the corner up ahead.

"It's another of those heavy laser cannons. Where the hell did he get those?" Tattletale complained as she brought up the rear.

"He mentioned Accord, right? Maybe he got them on a loan or for a deal?" the female Backup named Lacy thought aloud.

"Sounds like him," her husband Alexander noted in a scowl. "That man leans on Boston's Dock Workers all the time." And the cops just let him because he was 'low key' and didn't shake the boat.

Cybernull dashed around the corner and timed controlling the cannon just before it could be triggered. He grabbed the six foot long and hefty cannon and pulled it from the grasp as Coil's soldiers went for the rifles. Four of Rabble Rouser's Backup slammed into their formation in perfect coordination. They tore high tech rifles from their merely human hands in a coordinated instant.

The dock workers slammed them against the wall like ten pins even as they kept running forward.

"Grenades!" Tattletale called out even as she reset her power to normal levels. She hated the pins and needle feeling when she amplified it.

A second later, three grenades bounced around a corner. Cybernull tried to reconfigure his power to somehow block it when three of Rouser's men charged forward and caught the grenades and tossed them back. The stun, tear and frag grenade all exploded at the same time back near the mercenaries.

"Keep moving," Rabble Rouser ordered with an ugly sneer on his face at the mercenaries lethal attacks.

* * *

 

Glory Girl landed underneath a floating arrow of bugs. "That's creepy," she complained of the bugs as she set her sister down. "This must be the door."

"Be careful," Panacea said as she stepped back and looked over the construction yard.

The brute just grinned and punched her fist through the utility access panel. "I'm invincible!"

"You are mostly _invulnerable_ unless you had a second trigger. Do you think you are stronger than Behemoth?" Panacea snarked back.

"Man, you have got some cutting humor going on lately, Ames," Glory Girl said as she ripped the door off. She frowned as she looked at the electronics panel in front of her. Both of their eyes noted swirling bugs around an innocuous ring of metal. The blonde pulled on the ring and opened  the secret panel that showed a ladder going down. "Wow, this guys is weird. I'm going down."

Panacea watched her sister float down the hole and followed more sedately (really, more _carefully_ ). Why did she ever agree to robes? Well, other than ease of putting it on over her regular clothes. By the time she reached the bottom, Glory Girl finished off the automated gun in the ceiling.

"Ready?" Glory Girl asked her sister as she walked up to the metal door.

Panacea moved to the side and out of way of any danger. She watched as her sister kicked the door in and sent it skidding along the ground of a concrete corridor.

"It's clear," the brute called out as she started to float down the hall.

"That announced it almost as loudly as your aura," her sister said in a snide voice.

 _Right._ The flying brute pulled back her aura as hard as possible. She had promised her sister and she had no desire to be labeled a new Heartbreaker. Even accidentally.

Bugs started to form the word 'TRAP'  at the end of the hall when someone shot _through_ the fake wall at the end with a powerful laser burst of three seconds. More and smaller laser bursts shot out and impacted or passed her during the larger burst, setting her heart beating in a panic. And then a dawning realization that the tingling feeling from her shield grew while being attacked, but the shield _held_ . For some reason, being hit from multiple attacks did not break her shield like she _knew_ it would.

"What-!? My shield held..." because she suppressed her aura? _Holy shit!_ Total game changer-

The cry of pain from behind her froze her heart. She looked over her shoulder to see her sister fall to the ground while clutching her face. Glory Girl turned back to the shredded secret panel, pulling on the tingling feeling even more. And shot down the hallway in a blur. Far faster than ever before. Her fist punched through the remains of the panel and snapped the heavy laser cannon like a twig.

"Delta-Delta-Charlie! Her shield did not break-" the mercenary leader of the small ambush group said before her hand slapped out and knocked him thirty feet away.

Glory Girl narrowed her eyes and slapped the other four mercenaries with less effort and only sent them five feet or to thud against walls. She turned around and shot back to her sister.

The healer lay on the ground sobbing in pain while covering one side of her face.

"Panacea's down with an injury," the blond called out across her bluetooth to her family line on her phone.

Bugs formed words on the wall to inform her that the bug user called for an ambulance.

"Evacuate if you need to rush her to the emergency room," Lady Photon ordered across the line.

Panacea shook her head slightly.

"She shook her head. I'm going to take her up to the entrance," Glory Girl decided.

The base shook as more explosions sounded even as she carefully picked up her sister and floated straight up and out of the villain base.

* * *

 

Coil stared at the few working screens as his men let themselves be overrun. Swarms of insects (and no sign of the bug user!) hampered all of his men to horrifying degrees. The rest of Apexius mowed his people down as they tried to fight back in fits and starts.

In his other timeline, he moved towards one of his escape exits with two guards only to run into the giant Manpower. The brute held an armored door as extra protection as he took the laser blasts from his mercenaries.  He then punched the center of the door and sent it rocketing down the hall in a burst of energy.

The timeline ended with sudden pain that cut off and not at his behest. Coil narrowed his eyes as he mentally noted making sure that Manpower died a gruesome and crushing death.

He split his timeline again as he moved to leave his hideaway and get to the exit with a simple disguise of one of his mercenary outfits. Around a corner he ran into Cybernull and Tattletale. The bullet through the head dropped that timeline. And caused him to shudder.

It appeared his Tattletale held grudges much deeper than he thought.

With a thought, he split his timeline again. In one he called for a very high paid extraction expert, in the other he went back to trying to activate the self-destruct on his base. And again to find it thoroughly blocked.

In both timelines the armored door to his ultimate lockdown room started to pull outward with a horrible screech of metal.

"Thanks, Lady Stinger," Tattletale said to the air around her as she pointed her gun at him through the doorway as the cyborg dropped the armored door in the hall with a massive clang.

In the timeline on the phone he continued to promise ten million dollars for his safe escape. The blonde thinker fired without any warning until her pistol ran out of bullets and ended him.

He split his timeline again and started to talk in one.

"Tattletale. You won't murder me in cold blood," he said in his controlled, cold manner.

"No, but I will if you make any _actions_ to try and escape before the Protectorate shows up," she shot back. Her hand only shook a little.

He flinched as his other timeline where he tried to shoot both of them with a hidden laser in his desk ended with Tattletale who dodged the attack and himself crushed by his own desk that Cybernull kicked hard enough to dent the wall behind him. Through his body, mind you, though he still lived long enough for him to discard that disaster.

Tattletale narrowed her eyes as her power informed him of the generalities of the other action he never took. She started to pull the trigger like her non-existent Schroeder clone had, aiming for center mass. Coil attempted to dodge left in one desperate timeline and right in the other.

He collapsed onto his right side as the other timeline ended _more_ catastrophically. "I- should- killed- you..." he breathed out in anger with his last breath as blood spat from his mouth.

"You've been trying to for the last twenty minutes, you bastard," she shouted back with her face twisted in anger as tears streamed down her face.

"Tattletale. Lisa! You can't just keep shooting him," Cybernull said with a sickened sounding tone of voice.

Her gun wavered left and right. "Yes. Yes I can!"

Cybernull carefully placed his hand on top of her hands holding the gun. "You don't need to any more. He's dead." At heavy footsteps, he turned his head back to the doorway.

"Friendly," called out Manpower as he ducked his head to step through the door. He surveyed the whole room. "Damn it. Was he defending himself? Did he pull a weapon out?"

"Not that I saw. But Tattletale reacted to something?" Cybernull turned to the young woman.

"There's a laser weapon in the desk. Coil tried to figure out a way to use it to kill us without dying himself." She barked out harsh laugh. "I guess my Thinker power finally trumped his." She gave a hiccup and dropped the gun. "Bastard."

Her teammate gave her a hug and patted her back. "It's going to be alright."

"No it isn't. The bastards are going to force me into the Wards and bring my family in," she replied harshly.

Cybernull released the hug. "Manpower, right?" he asked the huge, white-tights wearing Brute.

"Yeah?" the man asked.

"If you would witness me checking the desk for a weapon?" He walked over to the desk and crouched down to look under the desk. "Man, there are a lot of buttons there. And two weapons."

Manpower nodded, though he had to kneel. "Yes, there is."

Tattletale looked between the two. Her shoulders slumped. "You would try to arrest us if we tried to run, wouldn't you?" At least Cybernull had headed off one piece of blackmail.

"I would, unfortunately. Excuse me," he said as he put his hand to his ear. "It looks like Brandish and Shielder captured a Coil, Grue and seven or so mercenaries."

The girl winced at that. "Another fake. And Coil must have grabbed his sister." She tapped her head torc back to its regeneration mode.

Manpower snorted in derision. "That doesn't surprise me. Most villain teams only pay lip service to that unwritten rule. Come on, let's go Backupstairs to meet the Protectorate and the PRT troops."

Cybernull tilted his head in thought as his visor reflected the view of the huge hero. "You couldn't really have much of a secret identity, could you?"

"Not exactly a lot of seven foot tall men with my build in Brockton Bay, no."

Tattletale cackled in glee. "You're the reason that you guys went public, didn't you?"

"Yup. But I do know what the PRT is going to try and pull. So making sure you have your proof, that's important. And don't let them pull any quasi legal bullshit," Manpower said as they walked out the door.

* * *

 

Armsmaster squeezed the brake on the high tech handlebars and skidded to a halt at the edge of the PRT containment line with his supercycle. "Sgt. Harris? Still no sounds of battle?"

"Words is that the battle is over and that the base needs to be assayed to make sure no one escapes and that no dangerous traps are left," the trooper said as he walked over.

As they walked towards the main entrance, several figures came into view out of the secret base's entrance.

"Armsmaster!" Manpower called out. "We have a complicated situation."

Lady Photon floated down to the ground next to her husband. "Coil is dead," she stated, then looked over to Manpower.

"And it looks at first glance like he did not defend himself, but it appears he was using his Thinker power to figure out an attack that would work." The big man frowned.

Armsmaster frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It would be better if Tattletale explained, perhaps?" Manpower said as he looked over to the girl.

Cybernull looked between them. "I can explain the basics as Tattletale is really rattled. Coil's power is the ability to essentially set a point of time and pick two sides of a choice. Like 'attack' or 'wait'. He effectively lives both choices, but takes the better choice in real life. So if he attacked, but it goes badly he reverts to the wait choice. But he now _knows_ what went on in the other choice, which he can then use for another attempt."

"So while he was talking to us, he was trying to figure out the best way to kill us without it going badly for him," Tattletale explained. "My Thinker power could get the general gist of what he was doing, so I knew he was still trying to kill us even though it didn't look like he was taking any actions."

Triumph whistled softly. "That's a nasty Thinker power. You'd never know what he was doing until he just succeeded."

"It's some form of precognition that functions in real time, but only binary choices," Tattletale went out. "So when I shot him, he looked like he was just talking."

Armsmaster frowned. "So it looked like murder, rather than self defense. We are going to have to take you in to interview you about this, even so."

"The whole team?" Cybernull asked.

"Until we get this cleared up, yes. Who is on your team at this point?" Armsmaster asked as he watched PRT troops move in to secure the secret base.

"Tattletale, Regent, Lady Stinger, Rabble Rouser and myself. I'd like to see if we can do something for Grue, because he was forced to fight here today again. Probably blackmail or threats," Cybernull said.

"Coil kidnapped his sister. I gave the information to Brandish and Laserdream so they could raid the safehouse," Tattletale explained as she played with her power torc again. "Coil tried to do something similar to Regent, but he basically did the minimum possible and knew that I would pick up on that."

"Triumph, escort them back to PRT headquarters so that we can do an indepth interview and check for Master influence," Armsmaster ordered the most junior of the Protectorate. "I'll stay here to supervise and disarm any more traps or explosive." He pointedly looked at the mass shrapnel damage at the entrance.

"If you don't mind, Armsmaster, we're going to accompany them. Brandish and Flashbang are headed to the hospital to check on their daughters," Lady Photon explained as she stepped closer.

"There's no need for that," he replied in a strained voice.

"I think they need someone on their side that knows how it all works," she replied.

Armsmaster pressed his lips together as he neither confirmed nor denied her implied accusation. "Very well. Triumph?"

"This way. We'll just requisition a transport," the lion-themed hero said as he gestured towards the line of light military transports.

Lady Stinger jogged over from her position off site, as she stayed over a block away the entire time. "Rabble Rouser? What's going on?" She leaned forward to keep standing with her hands on her knees. She needed more exercise!

Her father gestured her to come closer. "We're going to PRT headquarters to be interviewed. Tattletale killed Coil and that requires interrogation. Well, _friendly_ interrogation." He turned to his friends from the Dock Workers Union and then looked at Triumph. "Does my Backup need to come along? They aren't powered without being affected by my power."

"You are a _Trump_? I mean, no, they can be interviewed by the sergeant here. Come on, the sooner we start, the sooner we can finish and maybe have lunch."

"It's only nine-thirty," Rabble Rouser noted.

"Well, hopefully we get done before one or two o'clock. The PRT is a government organization and like all agencies, runs on paperwork in triplicate."

That quip got cautious chuckles.

In the back of the PRT transport, Cybernull and Lady Stinger sat on either side of Tattletale on the hard bench. The blonde kept her eyes downcast and barely responded. The cyborg put his arm around her shoulders.

"Don't worry, we'll get through this," he said.

Her faux-blue eyes met his. "There's a good chance that they will try to pressgang me, just like Coil did."

"We won't let them," he promised.

Lady Stinger nodded her masked and armored head. Her goggles hid her expression, but she put her arm around Tattletale's shoulder too. "Yeah. You were just taking him down."

"He blew up our safehouse to make sure we didn't have anywhere to go," Tattletale said in a morose tone. As expected.

"We better tell them." Cybernull turned to Triumph sitting across from them next to Regent and Rabble Rouser. "Triumph, it looks like Coil bombed our safehouse."

The Protectorate hero blinked. "Really? Man, this guy sounds like he was a real piece of work. Let me inform Console so that we can tie this all together properly. We can put you up temporarily at a hotel, but you can't do that masked."

"Don't worry about that," the oldest member of Apexius said. "I have a place they can stay. It might be a bit crowded, but we can make it work."

Lady Sting smiled at that. "That's a good idea. It'll be like a sleepover."

"With boys? How adventurous!" Tattletale said with a hint of her humor showing.

The other girl sputtered in denial, much to the amusement of everyone else.

* * *

 

Cybernull let himself be led alone to an interrogation room at the PRT headquarters. Across the table sat a middle-aged woman with her dark hair pulled back in a tight ponytail and the hero Triumph. He sat in the seat that looked directly at a large, mirrored wall.

"Only a little cliched," he muttered to himself.

"And that's only because we are checking for any outside influence," the officer explained. "I'm Lt. Rita Jones. This interview is being recorded with Lt. Rita Jones and Protectorate hero Triumph witnessing about the independent hero Cybernull pertaining to the issue of the assault on a villain's base and the death of the villain Coil. Do you agree to this interview?"

"Does this waive any rights?" he asked in curiosity.

"Not directly. If things turn towards a criminal investigation, I may have to read you your Miranda rights," Jones said. "Then we would look at a lawyer."

The young looking hero resolved to make sure everything they said got recorded with a record going to him. They could control too much if they held all the records and data. "So, someone mentioned an evaluation?"

"It's just to make sure that no Master is controlling things from the shadows. The chances are small, so just the basic evaluation. Speaking of that, let's start with the first question," Jones said as she pulled out a form with the list of questions from one of the folders in front of her. "Do you feel disconnected from any events in the last week?"

"No, I do not. Are you aware I have a psychic shield that blocks Master effects?" the younger looking kid asked.

"That you _think_ blocks Master effects. If you are willing, there is a Ward that has the ability to induce emotions. So would you describe yourself feeling different from a month ago?" Triumph asked from the side without pausing a beat.

"Yes, but that's because I was a normal computer tech back then and didn't have any powers. I think I'm allowed to feel a bit different after-"

"Whoa, stop. No need to tell me about your Trigger event. Those are incredibly personal," the Protectorate hero lied while holding up his hands in a stop gesture. He hadn't triggered, after all.

Cybernull blinked behind his blank, reflective visor. "Oh, right."

"Continuing on, would you do anything for your new friends?" the officer Jones asked.

The cyborg shook his head.

She sighed for a second. "Please give a verbal response."

"Um, not really. I wouldn't murder someone for them." Cybernull shrugged.

This went on for another half an hour as Cybernull made sure to record each of the interrogations (only Tattletale and himself being interviewed by Protectorate heroes so far, though two more PRT officers headed to Lady Stinger's room).

"Well, you passed with only a note about possible depression. Or that you might have had depression in the past, but that you don't at this point." Jones gave him a professional smile. "You even are stable enough to fight the Simurgh, if you want to volunteer for Endbringer battles."

"I'm not following that. You have to be stable to be allowed to fight the Simurgh?" Cybernull asked as he cocked his head at an angle to signal confusion.

Triumph leaned forward in his seat. "Yeah, even locals that aren't stable aren't allowed due to the danger of being turned into future, ticking time bomb disasters. Even with that, everyone is on a strict exposure limit. If you go over the time limit, they trigger a collar explosive. So if you are in danger of being made into a danger, you agree to be killed." Triumph shuddered at that. "I'm not sure I'd want to volunteer, myself. I'll fight against Leviathan or Behemoth, but the Simurgh is the worst in my eyes."

"Thanks for explaining that," the younger looking teen said. He looked towards the door. "Say, do you think we can check on the rest of my team? I want to make sure they are being treated all right."

Lt. Jones nodded. "Sure. Let me make a call." She stood up and left the interrogation room.

Four very boring minutes later, she returned.

"I've been instructed to take you to a waiting room until everyone is finished. Shouldn't be long yet," Jones explained.

"Come on. It's not far and there's a vending machine," the Protectorate hero said.

Fifty feet and down a hall, Cybernull stopped. "Lt. Jones, I'm afraid I need you to take me to where my underage teammate Tattletale is being threatened with jail time by your Director Piggot, Armsmaster and Miss Militia." He had the phone system send a text message to Lady Photon's cell phone.

"I'm sorry, I'm not authorize to do that," Jones said as she tried to control how nervous she felt.

"They are doing what?" Triumph asked as he came to an immediate halt.

"As an adult on the team, I insist that I be present. Conscripting a teen against her will and threatening her is making me _mad_. And I generally don't get angry," Cybernull explained in a clipped tone.

"Well, I will have to call my superior," Jones said. "Triumph, stay with him and make sure he doesn't leave."

Triumph frowned, but nodded. His charge leaned against a wall as he watched several PRT office workers pass by.

"Cybernull," Lady Photon called out as she turned a corner. Manpower loomed over her as he followed three feet behind. "What's this about Tattletale being pressured to join the Wards under the threat of prosecution and jail time?"

"Just that. She's _right now_ being pushed by Director Piggot and the Protectorate leadership without her parents, an adult or even a lawyer present," he explained. He looked off in the distance and his expression changed to a scowl. "And my PRT handler was just told to stall us by the deputy director so that we can't interfere."

"Ah, shit," Triumph muttered as he hunched his shoulders forward.

"You, Triumph, are going to escort us to that meeting-" Lady Photon paused to look at Cybernull for a second.

"In the director's office on the twentieth floor," he supplied.

"-so that they don't take advantage of a girl that just killed a man who had kidnapped and threatened to her life. Because it's the _right thing to do._ " The leader of New Wave met his gaze in an uncompromising manner.

Triumph opened his mouth, then closed it. He clenched his fists and stared at the ground for a long moment. "You're right, what they are doing is wrong." He stood up straighter and headed down the hall to a guarded elevator. He gave the PRT guard a low voiced pass code and had them enter the elevator.

Less than a minute later, the walked out the elevator on the correct floor and towards an office with another closed door behind it labeled 'E. Piggot'.

A male PRT officer looked up from his work at his desk. "I'm sorry, Triumph, but Director Piggot has ordered that she not be disturbed. Hey, you! Stop!" he yelled at Cybernull as he walked up to the door and shoved it open in a crack of solid wood.

Lady Photon quickly trotted in behind Cybernull and passed him to speak directly to the occupants of the room in the hope to head of a super fight. "Director Piggot, what is this I hear about you threatening an underage _hero_ with jail time if they don't join the Wards?"

"Oh, this should be good," Tattletale said as a smirk appeared on her face as she realized her calvary arrived with good timing.

"Where did you get such outlandish ideas?" the stout, blonde woman behind the desk asked in a very angry voice without somehow raising her voice's volume level.

Lady Photon folder her arms under her breasts and stared her down. "Because I know how you and the PRT operate. I almost didn't need Cybernull to tell me what you were doing."

Manpower snickered, a mirth smile on his face. "This sounds just like old times. The more things change, the more they stay the same," he said to himself. The PRT had tried that a time or two with New Wave.

Armsmaster raised his polearm back up to rest its butt on the ground. "How did you know what was going on in this room?" he asked in suspicion even as he tried to find any Strangers with his suit's sensors.

Cybernull finished looking between the different people. "I control machines. Only Tinker tech has even slowed me down," he explained in a flippant tone of voice.

Armsmaster's head jerked to look at him. "You are telling the truth."

"Oh, he's got a lie detector in his helmet," Tattletale informed everyone. "That's almost as rude as my power."

In the background, Triumph winced. This whole situation aimed to turn into a catastrophe any moment. He did not look forward to weeks of monitor duty. At the _very_ least, the thought to himself morosely.

Cybernull tasked his own systems to function as a biometric lie detector in response, but kept his mouth closed.

Piggot took a controlled breath. "They are exaggerating, Mrs. Pelham. The death of a villain, even one like Coil, is a very serious matter and we would be remiss if we did not investigate the matter in depth."

Cybernull held up his hand with a the pointing finger pointing into the air. "That is a lie."

"Yup,"  Tattletale said as she leaned back in her chair.

Armsmaster frowned at their truthful statement about knowing Piggot lied. He did not like how the situation had changed.

Miss Militia looked between the two members of Apexius. "What do you mean?"

"It only took me thirty seconds to find the multiple weapons under Coil's desk. And with his ability to simulate actions, it was only a matter of time before he figured out a way to kill us," Cybernull explained. "And I doubt that Armsmaster had any trouble finding the weapons."

Everyone's gaze turned to the premiere Tinker of the city. "He is right about the weapons. But we can not just take you at your word that you did not just murder him."

"Even though your lie detector pegged my response as highly truthful?" the ex-villain asked him in a cutting tone. She narrowed her eyes as she studied him as she felt her headache start to come on and had to stop her hand from going to her power torc with an act of will. "Which is a probable statement of testimony, especially as this happened during a raid on his secret base."

"We are just looking out for your best interest," Piggot said in a smooth tone. "You would be safer in the Wards than on your own."

"But they aren't on their own, are they? They have their own, new superhero team," Lady Photon noted aloud. "Let's cut the bullsiht, director. The PRT's unofficial policy is to push any hero inclined cape to join the Wards or Protectorate, even on rather flimsy charges or excuses. But _we_ aren't going to let your railroad Tattletale and Cybernull here into the Wards."

"That is a serious accusation," Piggot said with her best poker face showing.

"Note that she did not deny it," Tattletale crowed as she almost kicked out her feet in glee.

"Yes, I did notice that Tattletale. As a friendly bit of advice, try to not needle people too much during tense negotiations. It makes it harder," Lady Photon said as she turned back to Piggot behind her desk.

"You are not making any friends here yourself," the director said. She waited for Lady Photon to continue.

"What I want is for you to stop badgering an underage girl into the Wards. All it's going to do is alienate Apexius and make New Wave distrust you and the Protectorate."

"Are you telling me how to do my job?" Piggot asked carefully.

"No. Not in the least. I'm trying to save you from an utter disaster in public relations. New Wave is about _public_ accountability, after all. And we've been in Brockton Bay as heroes longer than you have been director here," the white-wearing heroine said in a bland tone. "This is nothing but an abuse of power."

"How dare you say that," Piggot almost yelled out as she lost her composure for the first time at the jab at her own issue she had with parahumans.

Miss Militia shifted her stance. "Director? I think we should try to compromise. Have the PRT and the Protectorate investigate the death, but deal with Apexius a bit more open and as allies. And extend them some trust. They did come in without a fight."

"Tattletale will not be allowed to leave the city," Piggot said in no uncertain terms.

"That seems fair," Lady Photon said as she nodded to the two of them..

Tattletale shrugged her shoulders. "Brockton Bay is my home now. And I know that Coil was trying to kill me, so I know that your Thinkers will figure that out, too. I have no reason to leave the city over this."

Cybernull grinned behind his faceless visor. "Which is the utter truth, isn't it, Armsmaster?"

Armsmaster nodded slowly. "Yes, it was."

"We'll come back to this matter at a later date. Miss Militia, would you escort them back to the waiting area? Armsmaster, Triumph; we have some matter to discuss," the director said as she nodded in dismissal to the heroes.

They walked past Triumph as he took a big breath as he prepared for _his_ interrogation.

She took them down the elevator and to the waiting room where Lady Stinger, Rabble Rouser and Regent waited.

"What happened? You all went upstairs to an office?" Lady Stinger asked. Her black and gray outfit started with the same base silk bodystocking that they all wore thanks to Tattletale's inspired idea to use Cybernull's power. Red goggles and various plates covered her her chest, shoulders, groin and head. All of the parts tried to give the appearance of chitin, even though it ended up being some high tech, bullet-resistant plastic. Her hair trailed out the back of her helmet.

"They were rescuing me from the tender mercies of Director Piggot," Tattletale drawled out.

"While her methods were extreme, it's because we need all the heroes we can get. I apologize for not seeing your side and stepping in." Miss Militia's brows furrowed in concentration. "I will have to think and study about that. Alienating heroes isn't what the Protectorate stands for."

Tattletale nodded as she got that the hero meant every word. "Well, it could have been handled better."

"Would you mind if I gave you the nickel tour while we are here? Maybe let the kids here at least meet the Wards?" the Protectorate hero offered.

"I don't think it would hurt. Even if it is a bit of a pitch to join the Wards," Cybernull said as he looked over to Rabble Rouser.

"We should keep our options open," the father admitted. He studied Miss Militia with a frown. "If Tattletale is willing give them a chance."

The girl in question blinked, then smiled. "Yeah, I can't blame the Wards for all of Piggot's psychological hang ups."

"Is it something that I should be aware of?" Miss Militia asked as she led them in the direction of the main lobby of the building.

"She has a high antipathy against and fear of anyone with powers, even heroes. My power suggests that she is unable to treat anyone with powers objectively," the girl said frankly. "There's more, but I think it's personal enough that if I tell you it will just cause _you_ problems."

"Well, that's not ominous," Miss Militia said as they turned a corner to come to an elevator.

"We're under the main lobby?" Lady Stinger asked the hero.

"That's correct. This is the special elevator that goes up to the Ward's level. A more private entrance that does not stop at the ground level." She passed through the security checks and gestured to the group.

"Glad none of us are claustrophobic or something," Regent said as he backed into a corner.

The elevator whisked them to the top level of the building. A short hallway led past the entrance of the Ward's living quarters. They waited for an all clear signal to let the Wards get masked and then entered into the common room area.

The youngest Ward who wore a green half-armored outfit looked at the group in interest. "Hello, I'm Vista."

An older male teen stepped up. "I'm Aegis, the new leader of the Wards." He waved a rust-red glove at the others to start his next introduction. "The armored fellow near the kitchen on his phone is Gallant. He's normally much more professional and polite, but he's talking to Glory Girl at Brockton General Hospital about Panacea. Last is Clockblocker."

Cybernull frowned behind his faceplate. "Where is Kid Win and Shadow Stalker?"

Aegis sighed. "He's busy fixing up a new device. Some sort of hoverboard."

Miss Militia took over at this point. "Vista, if you could get Kid Win. I'm sure that he would not want to miss this."

Vista stepped across the fifty feet between her and a door down the hall in one eye-wrenching stride.

Gallant ended his call and walked over to the visitors. "Sorry about that. Vicky is very distraught about what happened to Amy and is beating herself up for letting her get injured."

"How is Panacea?" Cybernull asked.

"She took a bad hit to her head. Another inch or two the side and she would have died. As it is, she's suffering severe burns and lost her right eye. They were worried about brain damage, but she appears to be responding and is now resting comfortably now," Gallant explained in an upset timbre.

Miss Militia shook her head. "I'll have to talk with Armsmaster and Director Piggot about seeing if we can get someone that can heal the damage. We owe her that much at a minimum."

All of the heroes present nodded at that as they murmured agreement.

Cybernull suddenly shifted to a different focus. "Say, Gallant? I understand that you have a Master power that forces a person to feel emotions?"

"Yeah, his pew-pew rays. Most unsubtle Master power in existence," Clockblocker called out in a joking tone of voice.

Gallant sighed. "Yes, that is correct. Thank you, Clockblocker for explaining my power in the worst way possible."

"Regent here has the power to make people's muscles spasm as a Master. And I'm immune to it, but I wanted to make sure my psychic shield can handle your power, too," Cybernull explained.

Lady Stinger frowned as she considered if his power could potentially block her own bug control if it affected an area. She mentally noted figuring out a way to fight without her power in case of an emergency.

"Miss Militia?" Gallant asked the elder hero.

"It won't hurt him, as he's also a Brute," she replied.

Rabble Rouser hmmed a second. "You could have asked me," he noted in a dry tone.

"We can try it later," Cybernull promised.

Gallant raised his hand and blasted Cybernull with a weak concussive blast but fully charged with fear. Cybernull rocked backward.

"A little stronger than a bullet. If you could narrow the beam more and make it a shorter burst, it would probably punch through things like a gun," Cybernull said as he thought over the effect. "Looks like it is far below the threshold to affect me." Only about 10% of the power needed, his cyber-systems told him.

"I can't tell if it affected you or not, which is really weird, by the way." Gallant blasted him with apathy, not even really knocking him back.

Vista and Kid Win wandered over as Gallant blasted Cybernull for about a minute.

"Well, I'll remember not to try and slow you down if we ever spar," Gallant said in slightly better humor.

"So your cybernetics emits a field that blocks Master effects? How does it work? Or better yet, can you explain how to make it?" Kid Win asked with quite a bit of enthusiasm.

"And you wanted to keep working on your project," Vista said in a wry tone.

That got a chuckle from everyone.

Cybernull shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry, it isn't something I made. I suspect that the cybernetics are the Tinker, not me."

"Huh? How does that even work?" Clockblocker asked.

"Cybernull is technically not a Parahuman," Tattletale explained. "He was kidnapped and disappeared for a week, right? And when he came back, he was like that."

Miss Militia frowned at that and noted it for his file to bring up to Director Piggot.

"Say, why don't we go to my lab and see if I can detect it with some sensors?" Kid Win said as he almost bounced on his toes.

"Sure," the cyborg responded as Tattletale and Lady Stinger followed along.

Behind them, Regent flopped onto the couch in front of a modest entertainment system and started to turn on the game system. Clockblocker turned to look at him.

"Aren't you going to follow them?"

"Nah, the dweebs got it covered. Cool, you have Raiden Ultimate Warrior Legacy III! The babes in this bounce!" the younger teen said.

"Yup, it's pretty awesome. Not that I bought the game for that reason only." Clockblocker looked around. "And definitely don't mention it to Vista or Assault, okay?

"It's cool, buddy. Grab a controller and lets murderize zombie ninja!"

Aegis just shook his head as he followed everyone else into the part of the armored, geodesic dome set aside crafting Tinker Tech to stand beside the older cape, Rabble Rouser.

"-and finally let me set up the laser scanning electro-gravity sensor," Kid Win said as he pulled out a camera looking device on a robotic-looking arm.

"Sure, I guess?" Cybernull said as he manfully tried to ignore the giggling of the two teen girls. He turned away and frowned as he saw Gallant next to Miss Militia and Rabble Rouser. Could he do something more for Amy? It sounds like the damage done to her is something she could fix in any other person, except her power did not work on herself.

"And... I am getting weird numbers on the 1.5 to 8 Hertz band of electromagnetic lines. I have no idea what that means," Kid Win said in confusion. "The waves are totally random and morphing. I wish I could figure this out."

"Why can't you?" Lady Sting asked.

"Well, I'm not the best Tinker and I haven't figured out my specialty, so it's even harder. On top of some attention issues," the boy teen explained.

"And these are all of your projects?" Tattletale asked as her left hand tapped her power torc.

"Yeah, I just lose my inspiration and then I get lost on what I was doing." Kid Win shrugged helplessly even as he stole a glance at Miss Militia.

She gave him an encouraging nod.

The blonde Thinker looked over his projects. "It's because you are trying to extend your projects rather than making sure they have standardized interlinks. See, this part you sort of duplicated three times for the different, uh, energy emitters?"

Kid Win blinked and looked at the three failed energy weapons that lay in pieces on the electronics workbench. He pulled out his working photon pistol from his hip holster and started to take it apart. "And if I cut these parts out and make these male/female plug connectors..." he mumbled as he used a laser cutter to cut large sections of the projects apart as his finger flew through _easy_ , connected steps. "It's all about modularity."

"That's your specialty," Tattletale helpfully informed. She glanced over to Cybernull, then blinked. "Uh oh."

"What do you mean?" Miss Militia asked as she followed her gaze. "Cybernull, it's rude to use another Tinker's lab without permission."

She waited for him to respond as he ran a hand beam over several components.

"I only looked away for a few seconds!" Tattletale complained. "He's in his Tinker fugue again."

"What is he making?" Lady Stinger asked as she moved to try and get a better view.

"I don't know, exactly. When he's like this, I can't read him at all." Tattletale pushed her power harder and got a small spike of pain. "He went into his fugue after looking at Gallant."

"I'm pretty sure I didn't do anything. Is he going to be all right?" Gallant asked.

"Oh, he's no danger unless you are a spare part." Tattletale snapped her fingers. "It's because you are in a relationship with Glory Girl who is worried about her sister, Panacea. So he's trying to make something that can heal her."

"Can he do that?" Miss Militia asked as she watched Cybernull moving fast and efficiently.

"I think it more matters how _long_ it will take him to make it," Tattletale replied truthfully. "Huh, with a well equipped lab like this, he might be done in just hours." Her mind started to catalog the needed items to buy their own lab as soon as possible.

"So we just wait?" Rabble Rouser asked.

"That's all we can do," she replied truthfully. "Oh, Kid Win? You might have to intercept him from taking apart things you don't want ruined."

"My lab!" he cried out even as he looked over at his module pistol.


	8. Interlude 2

Her blonde hair whipped about her face in the high wind as she closed the roof access door behind her. Why did Amy have to look so happy to see her and mom sitting at her side?

 _She had failed_ , after all. Let her baby sister get hurt again.

Vicky ran twenty feet and leaped off the roof and into the sky, pulling harder on that tingling feeling. Her _promise_ to her sister that she wouldn't Master anyone else. She frowned to herself, as the air seemed to fight back as she flew faster and _harder_ than ever before. She arced north to the Boat Graveyard.

She landed next to her punching block, an eighteen inch thick piece of hull from a WWII warship. Glory Girl pulled back her fist and put everything she could and _punched_. A gong from hell sounded and the tons of steel rocketed away and blasted through a fifty foot long fishing boat.

Vicky raised her fist to stare at it in amazement. "What the hell?" She turned to look at one of the slightly larger half-beached fishing ship and floated up to it's rusted radio mast. She wrapped one arm around it and then grabbed with her other arm and with her flight active, started to pull up.

The wreck groaned a little as it shifted. Then the ground fell away at a steady pace as Glory Girl lifted over a hundred tons, far in excess of anything before today. The teen girl turned and shuttled the wreck out of the way to stack it by the metal junkyard on the northeast side of the bay.

"I wonder?" Vicky muttered to herself as she lowered the ship to dry ground. She let go and floated back and away as she held up her fists.

Everyone called her the next Alexandria. And she let them, even though she knew it to be a lie.

Alexandria ignored lightning bolts and searing lasers. They could not hurt her.

Glory Girl could not take on two gangbangers shooting at her at the same time for fear that two hits would leave her bleeding out.

Alexandria could kick a tank through a building.

She could barely lift a cement truck with great effort.

Alexandria could fly across the US in under an hour.

Glory Girl could make New York City, only a couple of hundred miles away, in about an hour.

Victoria Dallon took a hard look at herself and admitted to herself that she hated being compared to the female member of the Triumvirate. Her showing off and brash attitude... covered her own insecurity. Amy telling her how her aura mastered her nearly broke Vicky's fragile ego.

Pulling back on the emotional aura aspect of her power, suppressing it like she should have done from the day they figured it out, made her even more physically powerful. She pulled harder and felt it slowly, ever so slowly, increasing in a full or tingling feeling.

And her force field that surrounded her body started to glow a soft, golden light.

The fact that she could have done this at any point in the last year or two ached in her chest.

"My power must be dichotomous. It works with both parts active, but it doesn't work as well. I bet I could suppress my invulnerability by pushing my Master aura," she muttered to herself as she thought back to her Parahumans 101 class. "At least I can be a better hero."

Vicky considered her words and nodded to herself. She lifted her head and looked around to see the bay in a new light under the early afternoon sky as the sun broke through the light clouds. What had Triumph said a couple of weeks ago?

 _'What good is a port city without a port? It isn't, it only leaves the bad parts behind,'_ Triumph had said as he explained his philosophy that he had learned from his father.

Blue eyes studied the rest of the wrecks in the bay. Most were little bigger than the fishing boat beached behind her. All excepting the one ship that almost blocked the entrance of the bay entirely. The _Lovely Divine_ , a container ship that sat half empty of the standard cargo containers. Over nine hundred feet long of rusting ship festering in the open wound of the bay.

She pulled out her phone and called a familiar contact with a little white circle and red cross. After ten rings, the other girl finally picked up.

"Hey, Ames. Can you see the bay from your window?" she asked her sister.

In her hospital bed, Amy looked a bit confused. "Yeah."

"I'm going to try and show you what I could have been doing if I had tried to be a better hero and a better sister. This is is just for you showing that you can be a better hero without ever throwing a punch," Glory Girl said. "I need to hang up, don't want to damage my phone."

"Vicky? What are you going to do?" Amy asked in sudden worry. A wave of dizziness almost caused her to pass out as her blood pressure spiked.

"Hopefully something good for Brockton Bay. I promise, I'm not going to hurt myself. So trust me."

"Okay, Vicky. I do trust you. Just... be careful."

Glory Girl put her phone away into it's little waterproof bag and slid it into a hidden pocket at the back of her dress. Then, still pulling back on her aura and causing a wave of tingling to cover her body, the glowing girl shot toward the water line on the side of the _Lovely Divine_. She splashed into the water, barely slowing as she followed the  curve of the hull down and into the silt. She trailed one hand along the metal as the silt parted like water for her.

She blinked as she realized she could sort of understand her location/position even in the dark muck. The girl curved slightly and found herself about center of the ship, but continued to where she believed the center of the mass lay.

Two dainty hands pressed flat against the bottom of the hull above her head. And then she pushed harder and harder. The metal creaked and groaned, but did not _really_ move. Vicky narrowed her eyes and pulled more on her aura again. It reacted with agonizing slowness, requiring longer and longer to get any change.

And then she felt the ship jerk as it started to pull out of the silt and muck that acted like a suction cup. Water, mud and silt swirled around her as she started to float higher and higher. Her heart pounded a triumphant chorus as _Lovely Divinity_ became the first flying cargo ship in the world.

* * *

 

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■

♦ Topic: Glory Girl lifts the world?

In: Boards ► Locations ► USA ► Brockton Bay

Thatdude (Original Poster)

Posted On Jan 29th 2011:

[PICTURE]

OMG! I think that's Glory Girl lifting that cargo freighter out in the bay!

(Showing page 1 of 2)

 

►Aloha

Replied On Jan 29th 2011:

Quit posting stupid photoshops and trying to pass it off as real. Glory Girl doesn't glow. What a loser.

 

►Bruce Lao

Replied On Jan 29th 2011:

Um, that looks pretty real. Let me go stick my head out the window.

And I'll echo OMG! Someone is really lifting that freighter out of the bay.

[PICTURE]

Sorry for the low quality, but I don't actually live that close to the water. Let me go call my photographer friend and see if he can get a better picture.

 

►Chrome

Replied On Jan 29th 2011:

Um, those two never agree on anything. I know we always say she's the next Alexandria, but that was mostly as a joke. Is that really Glory Girl? That's more something that Scion could do. And he does glow gold like that.

 

►Bagrat (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)

Replied On Jan 29th 2011:

The ENE Protectorate just confirmed that this is indeed happening right now! Holy cow and divine chickens!

They have not confirmed for sure who is actually doing the lifting, but they do appear to be female, but they are wearing brown and green clothing.

[Edit] That appears to be mud from the bottom of the bay. So we can't really see their outfit.

 

►Nagchompalump

Replied On Jan 29th 2011:

Hey all, this is Bruce Lao's friend taking the photos! Man, this is amazing. A literal bombshell!

[PICTURE]

[PICTURE]

[PICTURE]

[PICTURE]

Using my telephoto lens for best results, but damn I do think that's Glory Girl under that muck. That's got to be as strong as anything Alexandria ever did, right?

 

►Bagrat (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)

Replied On Jan 29th 2011:

Thanks, Nagchompalump. Those are some sweet pictures and it does indeed look like Glory Girl under all that. When did she start to glow?

Let me go check the Feat boards and see what's the heaviest thing an Alexandria package has ever lifted.

 

►Mr. Fabuu

Replied On Jan 29th 2011:

Hey, I just heard about this Glory Girl on the LA board. Something about the next Alexandria cleaning up a whole city? Why haven't I ever heard of anyone this strong before? Did she just trigger or something?

 

►Bagrat (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)

Replied On Jan 29th 2011:

She triggered a couple of years ago. Glory Girl is a member of New Wave, our local unmasked cape family. Wiki link here.

Checked the Feats board and no one can agree, because there's a rumor that Alexandria lifted a stolen Russian sub out from the ocean. But no one admits that ever happened to a reporter.

According to one of the engineers, she's probably lifting at least 200,000 *tons* with all the water and silt in it. So she probably just out Alexandriad Alexandria!

 

►A Number One Fan (Cape Groupie) (Obsessed) (Thread Ban)

Replied On Jan 29th 2011:

Bullshit! No one is stronger than Alexandria! I've heard about New Wave, willing to do just about anything for fame and glory, unlike our brave Protectorate! I bet there's Tinker tech actually doing the work so that New Wave isn't ignored.

What have they done recently?

#GloryGirlIsPathetic

            ►Brilliger (Moderator: Protectorate Main)

            Replied On Jan 29th 2011:

            Fan, remember what we told you the last time this happened. Take a warning and a half hour thread ban.

            And think a little bit about what you are spouting off about.

End of Page.   1, 2

(Showing page 2 of 2)

 

►Aloha

Replied On Jan 29th 2011:

She finally floated it all the way to the junk yards on the north end of the bay! Man, that's freaking awesome!

I wish I went to Arcadia High so I could have a chance to get her to notice me!

 

►Thatdude (Original Poster)

Replied On Jan 29th 2011:

Just showed a picture to a Thinker in PM and he says that it is only 150,000 tons.

Which, now that I think about it, is still more than I've ever heard lifted before.

 

Replied On Jan 29th 2011:

End of Page.   1, 2

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* * *

 

"Hurry up, man! Director Piggot is going to have you cleaning every bathroom in the Rig with a toothbrush if you don't intercept that target," Velocity called out.

"Not all of us are that fast," Dauntless said as he finished strapping on his Roman-styled breastplate. "I'm going as fast as I can. You could help, you know."

"You know I can't affect things at super speed," the speedster complained.

"At regular speed. Knight had squires to help with this shit," the ex-cop said as he started to work on first pauldron."

"Oh. Right."

Five minutes later, Dauntless ran out the nearest exterior door that led to an access catwalk outside and shot into the air. He started to look around. "Console, I don't see anyone. Did we miss the intruder?"

Another, smaller, fishing boat shot out of the water at high speed as Glory Girl lifted another wreck out of the way. With a whoosh, she shot off again. Dauntless leaned forward, willing his flight boots to full speed.

Glory Girl left him in the dust while carrying the ship.

"Oh, come on!" he complained. He needed to make sure to boost his boots more often. This was crazy!

The glowing girl hurtled through the air, only to curve towards him. "Oh, hi Dauntless!" she called out in a cheerful voice that sounded quite at odds to her mucky appearance.

"Hello. The glow is a new thing," he said as he floated there.

"Yeah, it's part of controlling my aura. I think my emotion aura and invulnerability interfere with each other," the girl said even as she scanned the bay for the last five or so shipwrecks left.

"Oh, well that's good you figured that out," he replied. "So, um, what's with your Scion impersonation?"

"Huh?" Glory Girl asked in confusion.

"You know, glowing, overpowered and doing random heroism?"

"Oooooh! Right. Well, if I push down my emotion aura down really far, it amplifies my invincibility. I mean, invulnerability! So I'm much, much stronger. And I figured I'd just clean up the bay so we can be an open port again. That's got to help with shipping, right?" She gave him a wide smile.

"Um, right. Well, let me call this in so that no one panics. Well, panics _more_ ," he said and then tapped his earbud. "Console, this is Dauntless. The flyer is friendly named Glory Girl of New Wave."

She winced at that. "Right. Sorry about that."


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Settling into the new status quo?
> 
> Yeah, right.

Amy Dallon opened her eye to see a too familiar sight of hospital brightness and harsh lighting. Half of her face hurt immensely, even with drugs dulling her senses.

Someone knocked at the door. A moment later, a head with blonde hair. "Hey, Amy! Ready to get out of here?"

"Vicky!" her mother called out. "May we come in?"

"Sure," she called out. "I don't have to go to school tomorrow, do I?"

"No, not at all. Vicky doesn't either, as she's _very_ grounded for her stunt yesterday," Carol said to her daughter.

"It wasn't a stunt! Everyone always talks about cleaning up the Boat Graveyard, but no one ever does anything," the superstrong cape complained. "And now ships can get in and out. Dean says they might even open the ferry again."

Mark, her father, patted her on the shoulder. "We know you have your heart in the right place, honey."

Any looked over to her father. "What happened after she finished moving all the ships?"

"Nothing much, I just had to talk with Director Piggot and get a lecture about contacting the PRT and Protectorate before I go rearranging the bay." Vicky's shoulders slumped as if under a great weight.

Amy giggled a bit even as Carol showed a small smile.

"I'm going to start the paperwork," Carol said as she started to head back to the door.

"Sure," Amy said.

Vicky patted the palm of her hand. "That Cybernull kid got it worse than I did." She slipped a large, metallic pill into her sister's palm. "I think mom is grounding me so that I can be home with you."

Amy just gave her sister a flat, one-eyed look.

"Well, maybe not," Vicky admitted.

The younger sister (by all of a few months) felt a tingle on her palm and turned her hand over. She started to pat around for the pill in vain.

"What's wrong, Amy?" Mark asked

"Oh, I'm just feeling around for something." Amy felt a tingle up her back. Then another.

"Um, there's nothing there," Vicky replied in a worried tone.

Amy opened her mouth as she suddenly felt... _something_ . With jerk, her power _changed_ and instead of feeling Vicky's entire physiology, she felt _her own_. Her pain faded and the fogginess of the drugs disappeared. And as easily as she healed hundreds of patients, re-grew her own eye perfectly.

"I-I think I'm healed." Little defects that she cleaned up in her sister disappeared even as she shifted her body fat around just a little.

Mark stared at her in surprise. "You had a second trigger?"

"I- uh- maybe?" Amy searched her own biology and found some sort of artificial additions to her Corona. She tried to reach out to them, to change it back when her whole biological power switched 'viewpoints' and she now could 'see' Vicky's familiar physiology through her touch of her hand to her sister.  "I can now heal myself," she replied as she switched again.

"Yes!" her sister exclaimed and hopped like a young girl.

The brunette ignored her as she unwound the gauze wrap over her eye and scorched flesh.

"Um, the eye color isn't quite right," Mark said.

"I just need a mirror," she noted in an almost demand.

Only a couple of minutes later, she exited the bathroom looking uninjured in the slightest.

"Looking pretty good," Vicky said, giving her two thumbs up.

The door opened and admitted Carol and Amy's doctor. Carol stopped and stared for a long moment.

"What happened?" she demanded.

Amy turned to her with tears flowing down her cheeks. "I can finally heal myself!" She threw herself forward and hugged Carol tightly even as she ignored how stiffly Carol hugged back.

* * *

 

Taylor trotted down the stairs in the quiet of the pre-dawn and into the living room. She left the house to jog for a mile or so.

Half an hour later, she walked back up the steps and unlocked the front door. She blinked at the three teens sitting in front of her TV watching a show.

"I didn't think there was anything on TV on Sunday morning," Taylor said to them.

"Arthur's got cable," Alec said before taking another bite of his Choco Puffs.

"And we even paid for it, even if I'm not waiting for the cable guy to come by tomorrow," he replied with a roll of his eyes.

"And of course Alec had to do cartoons," Lisa griped, but then gave a smile.

Taylor tilted her head as she started to get herself a bowl of cereal. "I thought you were told no Tinkering?"

"This isn't Tinkering. Cable decoding is... really basic, according to my power. My technological control power," he replied. "And they told me no Tinkering outside of my own lab."

"Which means the first thing we are doing tomorrow is setting up a lab or workshop for him to work on," Lisa explained.

"Morning, kids. Taylor," Danny said as he walked down the stairs in his bathrobe. He walked over to the old coffee maker.

"I need more stuff. Like pants and underwear," Alec complained. "Why don't we go to the Boardwalk today?"

"We should go to Target for that, rather than spend waste money on stupid brands. I might have saved our computers and your game system, but we all need more clothing and basics while we look for a new hideout," Lisa explained again.

"Secret base! Villains have hideout!" Taylor said as she bobbed Lisa on the forehead with a marshmallow from her Choco Puffs. "We also need more training. Our heaviest hitter needs to know how to fight better." She gazed at Arthur for emphasis.

"I, uh, know how to fence a little bit?" Arthur said with a cringe. "I never really got into fights until I got super-powers. I'm pretty sure anyone that's as strong as I am would beat me up easily." He mentally checked the progress of 'reformatting' his base form and no longer _stuck_ looking like a twelve year old if he could help it.

"Do you think the Wards or Protectorate would train him?" Taylor asked the other girl there.

Lisa shook her head immediately as she frowned and thought. "They'd require he join up and then limit him from doing anything and I have _so_ many plans yet." She tapped her chin for a second. "How about we ask New Wave? They have two brutes, though Glory Girl might be a bit much to tackle." She tilted her head as she studied him. "Are you sure you aren't good at hand to hand? Because you did okay during the attack on Coil's base. I thought you had some basic training."

Arthur looked up. "What?" Martial arts scrolled down in a list down his HUD. "I know kung fu?" Any 'Anything Goes' in there? Nope.

"Well, maybe you just need to know what you can do," Lisa muttered. "Your amnesia and power is annoying." Something did not add up.

Taylor turned to her father. "What are you going to do today?"

"Well, as the adult of the group, I started to talk to people and got a few price quotes for a warehouse that's close to the Dockworkers Union." He gave a very mean smile for a second before it relaxed into a friendly grin. "And strangely, $50,000 for a dilapidated warehouse was a great deal two days ago."

"And not that big of a chunk of Coil's money," Lisa said with a wide smile on her face. "They can't change the purchase contract, can they?"

"They are probably going to try, but Apexius LLC has some good lawyers that we got from the Dockworkers Union. Kurt is our CEO, even though I'll be doing most of the work-" Danny stopped as he noticed Arthur as he stood up. He looked up and down a second. "Did you grow up in one day?"

He tapped his forehead. "I dug into some settings to recalibrate my default form to be closer to my real age. So now I'm 5'11" again."

Lisa and Taylor checked him out as Alec wandered over to the TV to turn on his game system.

"Well, he could probably pass for eighteen, at least," Lisa said.

"No rest for the wicked. It's going to be a long day," Danny said.

* * *

 

"Thanks for coming over," Cybernull said as he opened the back door to a large warehouse. He scanned the interior to see the crates and garbage everywhere.

"So this is going to be your base?" the giant of a man asked as he ducked through the door. Manpower towered over two feet taller than the younger hero.

"Eventually. I may have to get _creative_ with my powers to make this work effectively," young man said. "No squatters. So how are we going to do-"

Manpowers fist smashed home to his face and sent him flying through crates to dent a support pillar. "That was an awareness test. You flunked."

"Got it," Cybernull said with a groan as he quickly rolled to his feet. Behind his faceless visor, he narrowed his eyes even as he moved forward in a slight crouch.

They started to trade punches, with Manpower just taking the quick jabs while Cybernull blocked the smashing blows.

Cybernull switched to a powerful punch to Manpower's stomach even with a push off the ground with his legs. Concrete cracked and Manpower staggered back two steps.

"Good one. You've got regular training, but brute fights aren't normal. You're like me, so you can't use flight for leverage like Glory Girl can," he called out as he charged back in.

"Not normally, right. I'll have to practice with some grav-flight later," Cybernull said as he switched from karate to a powerful exaggeration of thai kickboxing.

Two hours later, they stopped for a breather.

Manpower pulled out two water bottles. "Well, you seem to be getting the basics. You form is good, but I'll be truthful that you're damn green. Someone with good skills can exploit that for your first few fights. You're a little tougher than I am, so you should be okay. Just don't go charging in against someone like the Siberian. She's wounded Alexandria who can take a 1,000 pound bomb to her face without getting hurt."

"Some sort of anti-brute ability?" Cybernull said as he shape-shifted his visor out of the way so he could sip his drink.

"No one knows. The Slaughterhouse 9 leave few witnesses," Manpower said with an angry frown on his face. "I can't believe that none of us died back then. That's when Armsmaster solidified his bad ass reputation." He walked around in a lazy circle. "So what are you going to do with the place?"

"Armor it and make it as close to a bunker as I can? I'm going to leave the outer shell as camouflage." But how to build it fast enough to be useful?

Metal banging sounded from outside, then a door opened to admit Danny and his core gang. He tried to force open the rolling door, only to get pushed to the side by Kurt.

"Kurt! Danny!" Cybernull called out. "You got the first load of steel?"

The dockworkers almost jumped in surprise.

"Let me help you with that," Manpower said. He pulled the door up and two snaps sounded out as they gave out and shot into the building.

Cybernull chuckled. "They used bolts to lock it down."

"Oops," Manpower said with a cheeky grin. He tilted his head as he looked at the crushed steel salvage sitting on the back of the truck. "How did you get this cut and loaded so fast?"

"Can't really say. A little birdie told us about it and one of the ships had a working crane. It got us started," Danny said with a shrug. He looked a bit out of place compared to his bulky friends.

"I should get started on this," Cybernull said as he studied the thick sheets of metal.

"Later," Manpower called out as he waved goodbye.

* * *

 

Lisa sat back on the couch, appreciating her freedom from anyone else (for at least another hour). She had her notebook on her lap as she read web pages while she listened to the news.

"-experts expect that there will be only another week of evidence from the prosecution, then the judgement upon Canary. It's not looking good, Gary, as it really looks like she is going to be headed to the Birdcage," the reporter explained.

"That's because of the PRT and prosecution citing a clear and present danger to the public at large, right?"the female anchor asked.

"That's right. There is some deep worry on human rights, but the safety of the public is the overriding concern of Chief Director Costa-Brown of the PRT."

Lisa stared at the TV in horror as a picture of the singer known as Canary appeared of the screen. Fully bound in a straight jacket and muzzled with a tinker tech anti-voice device. She looked like something from the Silence of the Lambs.

"Shit."

Feels suicidal.

Not even allowed to speak.

Abuse of laws.

Corrupt judge.

More corrupt prosecutor.

Defense picked for being weak and conformist.

Example being made.

Legal precedent being made.

Orders from the Justice Department.

"God damnit."


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Politics!

Danny opened the door to his home and held it for Alec and Taylor to step in.

"What the hell?" Taylor called out as she looked around. 

One wall had all of the pictures and paintings removed and now had printouts, photos and hand scribbled sticky-notes covering it with strings running from them.

Lisa looked up from where she put a picture of Rebecca Costa-Brown. "Oh, hi guys. Got an emergency thing that's going to affect the team."

"Pfffff. Whatever. Is the PRT about to attack us or something?" Alec asked as he dropped his shopping bags and flopped onto the couch and turned on the TV and his prized game system.

"Yes."

Taylor and Danny shared a worried look.

"Why do you think that, Lisa?" Danny asked as he dumped his shopping bags next to the rest of them.

Taylor sat down next to Alec, but looked over to where Lisa walked over to her notebook and her printer at the kitchen table.

"You guys have heard of Canary, right?" she asked the other three.

The father-daughter duo nodded, while Alec ignored her.

"She's being illegally convicted and sent to the Birdcage as an example, legal precedent and  _ warning _ to human masters. Like Danny and Alec, with a side splash to regular masters like you, Taylor," Lisa explained.

"How can you illegally convict someone?" Taylor asked as her face turned very serious and unhappy. Her father?

"By biased judges, suppressing evidence, tampering with the jury, making sure the least effective defense counsel is picked and not allowing you to even speak in your own trial. Oh, and a massive public relations effort to make it all look plausible and reasonable," she replied.

"That does sound bad," Danny admitted. "So you got an inkling with your power and started to dig? How much of this is admissible?" He started to study the wall of 'evidence' closely.

"Damn little," Lisa said. "And the thing is, she's only guilty of accidental injury. If she were a brute that had just accidentally kicked him in the balls too hard, she would have done more damage. The jerk's traumatized, no doubt. But she does not deserve life imprisonment with the worst criminals in the world as punishment. Hell, she'd probably get six months in minimum and a year or two of community service about the accidental use of dangerous powers if she wasn't a master that sorta looks like the Simurgh." Lisa curled her lips into a snarl. "She's nearing suicidal thoughts right now. Not that she is even allowed to physically move or talk."

"We are not breaking her out. That would just make us criminals and they would try to convict her harder with us as accomplices," Danny said firmly, though his voice sounded...  _ angry _ .

"I'm thinking that's like a last ditch plan and only if we all agree. Got some ideas for a couple of legal angles. Lawsuits that target the judge (for discrimination against a parahuman) and against the defense for being hostile to the defendant," Lisa said. "I need to talk to some lawyers though, see what we can do."

"Can we go to news reporters?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah, that'll work," Alec said in a sarcastic tone as he actually listened carefully.

"We can, but we need to do it in a way that no one can easily counter," the intuitionpath said.

"We could protest very publicly in front of the courthouse. Drop some anonymous tips to the TV and papers. But that only works if we disclose that I am a human master," Danny said with a deep frown.

"But if we don't do anything now, Dad, they'll throw you in prison if you make a mistake while you are mastering... well, anyone," Taylor said as she thought it over. "But it needs to be more than us."

"Ooh, smart. We have another two other masters in Brockton Bay already, both heroes. We should try to talk to them." Even if one of them was Glory Hole. Gah.

"Who?" Taylor asked.

"Glory Girl and Gallant. That aura of hers affects emotions and he shoots kinetic blasts that play with emotions," Lisa explained as she put up another picture.

"So he's not a Tinker at all?" the other girl asked.

"Can he actually help us being a Ward?" Danny asked as he narrowed his eyes in thought.

"He could be ordered to not go to Boston, but they can't stop him from talking or protesting. As much as they wish they could." Lisa took a breath. "So... we need to talk to New Wave."

"We should let Arthur do that, as he's talked to them before," Taylor said.

"Point. I'm going to call him now," Lisa said. She dialed and waited for him to pick up.

It went to voicemail.

"Argh. He's in a tinker fugue," she said in complaint.

* * *

 

Rows of lights flicked on silently, filling the large room with green-tinged white light. A balcony ran across an upper level and a control room 'booth'. The room had areas marked off for vehicles to park and a communal kitchen and meeting table with a large 'A' on it. Exercise equipment filled another area and stairs in the corner led up and down.

"Hmm. I guess that can work," Arthur muttered to himself. He stretched and popped his neck. Then he pulled out his cell phone and noted a few messages. 

Lisa twice, then Taylor. All they wanted to know is when he would be done. He sent them a quick text message (yay, all modern and stuff!) The smartphone started to ring immediately.

"Hi, Lisa," Arthur said as he rolled his eyes.

"Done already? I thought it was going to take longer. Oh, nice! You synergized your cybernetic Trump power with your Tinker power," she started to say in a rapid pitter-patter.

"Yes, the base is done. What's the emergency? The texts sounded urgent."

"Yeah, we're basically going all political. I found out that Canary is being railroaded as an example of how serious the PRT is against human Masters. So her accidental injury with a parahuman power is going to get her sent to the Birdcage."

"What? That's bullshit," he replied.

"Exactly. So we want to get New Wave in our corner because of Carol Dallon and her law firm. And since you have a somewhat friendly relation, it's better for you to talk to them," Lisa explained. "I'm hiring a lawyer to start on the legal action. How long do you think it will take you to talk to them?"

"I'll call them immediately," he promised. "Keep me in the loop, even if it's just texts."

"Right. Gotta go, ta ta." Click.

Arthur just shook his head even as he had his phone call the urgent line for New Wave.

"This is New Wave, Lady Photon speaking," she answered.

"Lady Photon, this is Cybernull," he explained even as he felt the disconnect between names. "Apexius has become aware of a very serious legal issue that we feel is of life and death importance. We'd like to talk to you and Brandish about it, because we have information that Canary is being railroaded into the Birdcage over exaggerated claims and charges."

"Do you have proof about this?" she demanded.

"I'm pretty sure Thinker powers aren't ironclad evidence, especially if the PRT is the one doing the railroading," Arthur explained.

"You know where my sister's family home is, right? Can you meet us there in half an hour?" Lady Photon Asked.

"I think so. I need to get more information, so I'm going to bring a couple of people from Apexius along."

"See you at one o'clock then."

Arthur quickly sent a few messages and hashed out who was coming.

* * *

 

Brandish looked up from the large kitchen table as the doorbell rang.

"I got it!" Vicky called out as she trotted over to open the door. "Hey, Cybernull. This is Lady Stinger and Rabble Rouser, right?"

Cybernull shook her hand in greeting. "Right. Tattletale is busying hiring another lawyer and has Regent with her."

Lady Stinger shook hands and then stepped back to let her father do the same as they closed the door behind them.

"Nice to meet you," the older man said. He looked over to his daughter, who nodded. He took off his hat and pulled down his scarf. "Hello, Carol."

"Danny Hebert?" she managed to not quite choke out.

Cybernull looked between the two Heberts as Taylor reluctantly followed her dad in unmasking.

"Um, why are you unmasking?" Vicky asked with wide eyes. Her sister who sat at the table matched her surprised expression.

"Because we want to explain why this is so important," Danny said. "This is my daughter, Taylor."

"And why is it so important," Lady Photon asked.

"Because they are trying to set a precedent that  _ any _ use of Master abilities that hurts someone is grounds for sending them to the Birdcage. Tattletale is a very strong Thinker and figured out that Canary did not mean to hurt her ex-boyfriend after a concert," Danny explained.

"And dad is a human master, even if he uses it on willing friends," Taylor said as she slipped a bit and showed her fear.

"My daughter's power isn't very heroic looking at first glance either, so I'm more than a little worried."

Sarah Pelham nodded and waved for them to sit down around the table. "So you said that Tattletale figured it out with her Thinker power, so most of what you found isn't admissible? What do we know at this point?"

Her sister nodded intently.

"The government is purposefully railroading her by portraying her as an extremely dangerous Master. They aren't even allowing her to talk to her own lawyer, much less defend herself," Taylor said in an angry tone. "They picked a lawyer that is barely competent and is letting the judge and prosecution run roughshod over him."

"We have information that we can't admit to that has the Justice Department and the PRT actively collaborating to make sure that she does not get a fair trial and tampering with the jury." Danny nearly snarled at this. "They made sure everyone on the jury has lost family or been attacked by a parahuman. Most of them by Masters."

"Holy shit," Vicky said, her eyes even wider now.

Cybernull nodded. "And that brings us to ask you guys for help. Specifically you, Glory Girl. We need public heroes that are Masters to stand up with us when we set up a protest in front of the courthouse in Boston."

"I'm sorry to hear that, but Vickie isn't a Master," Sarah said as she shook her head.

Amy looked to her sister who looked as pale as a sheet. "Vickie?"

"Mom? Auntie? I-" She gulped loudly. "I am a Master."

"What? Vicky, we got you tested with the PRT," Carol protested.

"I mastered Amy and some of my friends." Vickie looked near panicked. "I've been working very hard to stop doing it, but it's tough to do."

"Amy?" Carol asked in a tone that chilled you to the bone.

"Cybernull fixed it. And everyone seems to be recovering as they weren't affected as much as me," Amy explained as she hunched her shoulders inward.

Their mother whirled around and pointed at Cybernull. "And why didn't you point this out to me, their mother?" she demanded.

"I informed Amy privately about it as I cured her depression and kept quiet at her insistence," Cybernull said in a low, slow tone of voice. "I  _ suspected _ it might be Glory Girl, but Amy wanted to deal with it herself."

"And the more people who knew, the worse it would be," the youngest daughter explained. "So I talked to Vicky and we are working on it. It's mostly fixed anyways."

Sarah rubbed her temples as she thought. "I'm sorry, Mr. Hebert, but I don't think New Wave can help you."

"Then I'll go by myself," Vickie said in a quiet, determined voice. "New Wave is all about responsibility. This is me, owing up to my mistake. Being a hero isn't about punching people. Well, only punching people."

The two older generation members of New Wave shared a look.

"She's right," Mark said as he stepped out of the kitchen carrying a freshly cooked pizza. His brother-in-law stooped to follow, holding two pizzas. "We've got food. But I think New Wave needs to be involved."

"What do you mean, Mark?" Carol asked.

"How accountable to the law can we be if the law is being broken to imprison parahumans," he explained as he set the food down. "It  _ is _ a New Wave thing."

"This could really blow up in our faces," Sarah said.

"It could have blown up in the worst manner. What if that was  _ Vickie _ that was going to be sentenced to the Birdcage?" Neal countered.

"Shit. We have to do this just to defend ourselves and New Wave, Sarah." Carol looked pissed off and ready to punch (or stab!) someone.

"You're right. It's also the right thing to do. If Vickie wants to go public on how her powers work, then we should back her up. Neal, can you call our kids over?" She turned back to Danny. "Let's hear what you have and make some plans."

The three members of Apexius nodded.

"We need to do something about the defense lawyer," Taylor said as she started to go down the list they had worked out beforehand.

* * *

 

Weld looked around at the small crowd of protestors early in the morning. It still creeped him out that they could not arrest the Fallen non-parahumans. He blinked as he saw a Brockton Bay Transit bus (marked 'Special Event') come to a stop across the street and its passengers started to exit.

"Um, Bastion? We have capes exiting that bus-" the large teen called out.

Bastion turned around. "Brockton Bay? Be ready for- Belay that, they are bringing out signs," the leader of the Boston Protectorate called out. This was supposed to be a  _ quiet _ morning and a photo-op. "I'm going to go over there and try to make sure it doesn't turn into a scene."

"How did we end up with Bastion being here?" Regent asked curiously as he twirled his rebuilt taser.

Tattletale smirked. "He's here for a photo op and to do a little team bonding with the Ward as leader of the Boston Protectorate."

Gallant stepped out of the bu and looked over. "His name is Weld. A Case 53 that is made of metal."

"How does that even work?" Lady Stinger asked as she tried to get a view over her father and his Backup.

"How do any super powers work? They just do," Rabble Rouser said as he settled his hat on his head and made sure his prescription goggles sat correctly. His scarf fluttered in the Atlantic breeze.

"Here comes New Wave," Gallant said, pointing up the road.

The news trucks and reporters started to converge.

The eight flew down the road at a sedate pace, with Manpower, Flashbang, Brandish and Panacea kneeling on a glowing platform created by the youngest member, Shielder. Lady Photon, Laserdream and Glory Girl flew in formation around the blue platform.

"Okay, will someone tell me what the hell is going on?" Bastion asked as he finally crossed the street.

"We are here to make a public statement about the injustice happening within the courts here," Lady Photon said as her feet touched down.

"What the hell does that even mean?" Bastion asked bluntly as he folded his arms to frame the emblem on his chest, a castle wall slash shield design over his metal grey armor.

"It means that Apexius and New Wave are not going to let Canary be convicted of a misdemeanor and get sent to the Birdcage," Rabble Rouser said in a loud voice. "It is a crime what they are doing to that girl. It is a shame on the courts that they are doing this."

"That could be my dad," Lady Stinger shouted out.

"Or my daughter," Brandish said as she glared at the Protectorate hero.

"Or  _ me _ ," Gallant said as he stepped out of the crowd.

Bastion just stared at them as if they were  _ insane _ . "Unless you have a permit for a rally, you are not allowed to just show up."

"We've got permits for the whole week," Tattletale called out, holding up a clipboard.

"I need to see those," Bastion said as he noted police cars and even PRT trucks coming down the road.

She held up the papers so he could see them, but did not hand it over. Something he noticed.

Bastion also noted all the TV news cameras watching him. "It does appear to be in order. You are on the wrong side of the street. Do not block traffic or you will be cited for disturbing the peace. And even possibly arrested."

"Quit being a jack-booted thug and start being a hero!" Regent shouted from the back.

Rabble Rouser turned the two teams. "All right! JUSTICE FOR CANARY! BIRDCAGE FOR REAL CRIMINALS!" he shouted out.

Everyone picked up the chant as they started to cross the street under the shocked gaze of the locals of Boston.


	11. Chapter 9

Judge Peter Reagan stepped out of the side door of the courthouse and took in the much larger crowd than normal. He frowned as he looked around to see people talking in a louder than normal hubbub.

The bailiff escorted the prisoner in to sit by her lawyer, Peter Davis, in her heavy, brute restraints.

Finally after about five minutes, where the judge noted that more reporters sat than normal, he called the court to order.

So when an older man in a _very_ expensive suit stood up right at the short wall that formed the 'bar' that kept the visitors out of the actual court, Reagan frowned.

"Your honor, if I may please intrude before we get too far?" Michael Harding called out as the bland fellow next to him studied Paige Mcabee closely.

"This is most irregular. Please make it quick," Reagan demanded.

Harding turned to the prisoner. "Miss Paige Mcabee, I am a lawyer from the firm Harding, Schuler, Kerman and Bridgeman. I have a simple yes and no question that I want you to answer as best you can with nodding or shaking your head. Do you believe your defense counsel Peter Davis is not representing your interests fairly?"

Paige strained under turning to look at the old man, then tried to nod her head frantically. Her neck brace seemed loose for some reason. The room erupted in whispered immediately.

"Mr. Harding, you are disrupting these proceedings! Bailiff, please escort him from my court!" the judge snapped out.

"I am here to offer Paige Mcabee free use of my services to defend her. It would be a legal mistrial if you forced her to keep a lawyer that is working against her wishes. My services have already been contracted to provide you legal defense counsel at this time, if you choose," Harding said as two bailiffs walked up to him.

"Hold on a moment, Johnson. While this is quite irregular, he does have some precedence. Mr. Harding, why did you not approach the defendant Paige Mcabee before this morning?" Reagan demanded.

"Quite simply, I was refused any contact, even email, due to concerns for my safety. In fact, the warden even refused my calls last night." He raised his hand. "I was only contacted yesterday about the issue and the fact that Miss Mcabee was suffering under insufficient legal advice, on top of other allegations."

"And who contracted you to be her defense, Mr. Harding?" the judge snapped out.

"I'm afraid that is confidential until I have been accepted by this court as Mcabee's defense, your honor."

The old judge studied the lawyer closely. He looked very confident and composed. Changing the defense lawyer should _not_ make a difference at this point. "Very well, you may take over as defense. Davis, thank you for your stellar work."

Peter Davis scowled at his replacement. "Your honor." He quickly took up his paperwork and left the room.

As soon as he stepped through the gate in the bar, six lawyers stepped up and walked through the gate to replace him.

"Mr. Harding, what are you doing?" Reagan asked in confusion.

"My entire law firm was contracted to be Miss Mcabee's defense, your honor. We are just taking our place at the side of our client. Do you think we can get an extra table? It might be a little tight otherwise," Harding replied with a grin on his face.

The judge tried to casually dab a bit of sweat off his brow, as he knew very well how much Harding's high end law firm charged for just one lawyer. "Very well. Johns, find a table while we get this trial back on track." He then turned his head back to the defense. "Mr. Harding, I believe you agreed to divulge who hired your services?"

"Oh, yes," Harding replied as he started to pull out folder after folder and a very high end notebook out of his briefcase. "We were hired by the superhero teams New Wave and Apexius."

Reagan blinked at that even as the prosecutor Shelton Orleans started to whisper furiously with the PRT's special advisor, Marie Warton.

"I wasn't aware that they knew the defendant," the judge replied with curiosity in his voice.

"They felt that a travesty of justice was being enacted here and feel that the legal precedent here was a danger to law abiding parahumans with Master powers," Michael Harding replied. "Oh, right. First off, I move that these barbaric, inhuman restraints be removed from my client immediately."

"That has already been brought up by the defense, Mr. Harding, and will not be revisited." Reagan sounded snappish.

"Yes, for supposedly being a Brute on top of a dangerous Master. I have a notarized letter from three doctors at the prison she is currently incarcerated at that the Brute restraints that you required are physically harming her and straining her back because she is in no possible way physically more strong than any other young woman in her 20's. I move to have these restraints removed because they are _physically_ hurting my client, on top of being utterly superfluous," he replied.

The judge opened his mouth, only to remember all of the reporters in the gallery. "Meyers, please bring me those papers. Does the prosecution have a response to this motion?" What the hell was this shit?

Shelton Orleans stood up. "The prosecution must remind everyone that my client is a desperate threat to the public-"

"Objection, your honor!" Harding called out.

"What the hell are you spouting off about now, Harding?"

"My client is presumed innocent until proven guilty and has no record of violence or injury before these charges were brought upon her. There is no factual evidence that my client is a 'desperate threat' to the public, as such language is reserved for someone that _has attacked_ the public at large," he countered. "I would be happy for the prosecution to present any such evidence of prior injury or threat to the public before using such terms."

Orleans's face had turned a bit scarlet during that. "Your honor, may I rephrase my language slightly?"

"Go on," Reagan said slowly.

"The prosecution must remind everyone that the defendant is deemed to be potentially dangerous to the public at large and such restraints are required to keep them and this court safe," he said clearly.

"Such a broad term could encompass anyone in this room, yet we do not put every parahuman criminal in such restraints. On top of being accused of being a Brute such as Alexandria, we might as well claim that my client is _potentially_ a threat because she could be a Trump like Eidolon or a Blaster like Legend. Yet we have no evidence of any of those three things. Restraining her in such an inhuman manner is mere spectacle and theater that is, once again, causing my client physical harm. Not _potentially_ causing her harm, it is physically hurting her back and neck."

Reagan frowned even as he felt the stares of the public. Damn him. "The court will allow the defendant to be held by regular restraints and the mask to keep her Master power under control."

Clapping erupted from the gallery, as if some major victory had been won.

The bland man that had stood at Michael Harding's side stood up and walked out the court. He nodded to the security officers as PRT troopers moved up and started to find out the situation. As Arthur stepped through the main door and back onto the street, he forced the direct shapechange back into Cybernull, much to the surprise of the one witness outside.

* * *

"Director Piggot, you might want to turn on the screen in your room. Control is going to pipe in Channel 2 Boston," a flustered PRT desk investigator said to her as Piggot opened her door.

"How critical is it? I have a meeting with Nullifer about his debut in the Wards in ten minutes" she asked as she came to a halt.

"I'm pretty sure that Director Armstrong is probably going to be calling to find out why PRT affiliated independent teams from Brockton Bay are in Boston protesting at the trial for Canary," the petite analyst replied.

"Teams, Maggie?" Oh, god dammit! Someone's head was going to roll for this.

"New Wave and Apexius are both present, declaring that they see the trial as a sham and a travesty of justice," Maggie replied.

Piggot narrowed her lips at that as she went back into her office. Armstrong had, she heard, not been happy with the way that trial had been interfered with. While not a weak man, he had a softness for the Wards in his care and went to bat for his Protectorate heroes.

As the Channel 2 news for Boston came on, she sighed at the sight of those heroes being up front in such a hugely public manner. Huge glowing words appeared above the crowd. 'Justice for Canary!'

"-Paige Mcabee has been charged with attempted murder with a parahuman ability, an excessive charge for what appears to be a tragic accident and unknowing use of her powers. Accidental injury with a parahuman ability is a misdemeanor, usually with community service and training in your powers. At worst six months and then community services." Lady Photon looked around at the crowd. "When did we, the citizens of the United States of America, decide that fear mongering and injustice against the innocent is the _American_ way? That's just one reason that New Wave has chosen to speak out."

She looked out over the growing crowd.

"And now I want to introduce a new cape, Rabble Rouser of Apexius!" Lady Photon called out then floated off to the side.

The red and black wearing hero stepped out and looked out across the mass of people. He could _feel_ the anger that simmered just under the skin and that his power itched to control.

"Thank you, Lady Photon!" he called out loudly as the podium amplified his electronically changed voice. "My name is Rabble Rouser and I am a parahuman with the power of a Trump-Master. That means I grant minor powers to the people that I control."

"Holy shit! He's a new Teacher!" a man in the crowd shouted.

"That's what it sounds like, doesn't it? But at this point I only control a group of close friends, my Backup." Rabble Rouser rolled his eyes under his goggles, happy his scarf hid his smile. "And of course they ham it up by waving to the crowd. But never mind that. While I control them, they each gain some a bit of parahuman toughness and strength. Tattletale's pretty sure they are only Brute 1 or 2, but they are awesome against the unpowered members of the gangs. And they want to help me fight back and fix our city. But if Canary is convicted and sent to the Birdcage, I am one day from a minor accident. One injury, one accident and then suddenly I am going to be in her position, even though I'm trying to be a hero. And is that right? Is that what our laws are for?" he shouted to the crowd.

"Hell no!" they shouted back.

"And if a human master like me is treated like that, what about my daughter? Lady Stinger's powers are, quite frankly, creepy and scary with the potential to hurt someone in her fights. Because bugs can't exactly just pull their punches or hit someone in the stomach until they stop fighting. What if someone decides that her power is too scary? Even if she only ever hurts criminals and villains? I do not want her fearing for her life and freedom because some judge or some prosecutor decided to make an example of her. So I'm going to stand up and fight!"

"Fight! Fight for Justice!" the crowd shouted back.

"Thank you! Our next speaker just might surprise you. Ladies and gentlemen, Glory Girl!" he called out as he stepped back and down.

Glory Girl floated up and to the podium. She swallowed and felt oh so terribly sick. "Hello! I'm Glory Girl! And I am a Master."

"What the hell?" several people in the crowd shouted, along with more than a few variations on the teme.

"I know, I'm just an Alexandria package. But that's not everything. Every parahuman is a bit different. I have a very powerful forcefield and I can fly. And I can put out an aura that makes people either afraid or be awed by me. My Shaker power. But that Shaker power changes emotions." She swallowed. "And if I'm not careful, I could hurt someone. Possibly without even meaning to. So that girl in there? The singer with a power that made a lot people just feel good and have a fun time? That could be me next week! One small accident! Maybe I scare a gangster into a heart attack! Or maybe someone decides that if I accidently made them feel awe for a second is an assault with a parahuman ability. Would I get thrown into prison? Or would they just send me to the Birdcage because I _might_ use my aura on them in the court? Am I less of a person because I have a power that I _might_ misuse?"

"You don't look like the Simurgh, Barbie!" a man cat-called out from the back.

"So just because she _looks_ slightly weird she should be persecuted worse than someone else with the same power? Or someone that's a Brute that beats someone badly? How is that justice?" Glory Girl looked around. "It isn't! It's wrong! It's evil and it's injustice! New Wave is all about being public and accountable. But we can't do that if our government is twisted and wrong. We have to be able to trust that we are all equal under the law!" Glory Girl felt faint. "So we want 'Justice for Canary!' and 'Only real criminals in the Birdcage!'"

Brandish put her hand on her elbow.

"Thank you for listening!" she called out as she floated to the ground next to her mother.

Brandish and Panacea both hugged her tight as she fought back tears of emotion.

The next speaker clanked up to the microphone on the podium. "Ahem. Hi! My name is Gallant, a Ward from Brockton Bay. And like Rabble Rouser and Glory Girl, I'm also a hero human Master. My blasts not only can knock someone back, but directly affect their emotions. Which means I have to be very careful in how I use them. The Wards have done a lot in helping me learn how to use them without badly hurting someone." His armored helmet looked around. "But, I didn't do that without making mistakes. Usually not bad ones-"

Piggot just stared at the screen. She turned and thumped over to her desk and picked up her phone and stabbed in a number by memory. "Armsmaster! You need to come to the the PRT Headquarters for an emergency Ward meeting." She looked at the time. "Try to be here by ten o'clock. I'm going to get Aegis out of class so we can talk about why the hell one of my Wards is on TV protesting that Canary trial!" She waited just long enough to get his affirmative before hanging up.

The phone rang just a moment later.

"Chief Director Costa-Brown? Yes, I'm trying to get to the bottom of that immediately. I don't know how badly this is going to reflect on the Wards or Brockton Bay, but we need to carefully feel out the situation before we do a knee jerk reaction."

Piggot nodded for several minutes.

"Yes, Chief Director. I'll try to have that report to you in three hours."

She sat back in her chair, feeling her age and her pains. Then she dialed the phone number to her legal department. "Parley, I need to know everything about what Wards are allowed and not allowed to do concerning politics and public demonstrations in the next hour. Good."

She hung up and dialed another number.


	12. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Court, politics and criminals! Oh my!

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♦ Topic: Canary criminal trial (Updated)   
In: Boards ► USA ► Boston    


LegalBeagle (Original Poster) (Verified Lawyer) (Cape Groupie)    
Posted On Feb 2nd 2011:   
Post here about any updates on Canary's trial.   
  
(Update) Trial date set for January 25, 2011.   
(Update 01/27/2011) Charged with Attempted Murder with a Parahuman Ability, Sexual Assault with a Parahuman Ability (and many more possible crimes).   
  
(Showing page 116 of 118)   


►LegalBeagle (Original Poster) (Verified Lawyer) (Cape Groupie)    
Replied On Feb 2nd 2011:   
Early morning here at Canary's trial. Not expecting a lot of change. The defense will probably still fail to do their job. Rumor is that the Birdcage is being bandied around.    
  
Looks like the gov is serious about making sure that human Masters get the book, subscription and library thrown at them if they start to go villain.   
  
►All Seeing Eye (Smug) (Verified Cape) (Apexius)    
Replied On Feb 2nd 2011:   
Good morning, all! Please welcome us to Boston!   
  
►Feychick (Cape Groupie)    
Replied On Feb 2nd 2011:   
???   
  
Why is All Seeing Eye here in this thread? We haven't had a cape post in thirty pages.   
  
►All Seeing Eye (Smug) (Verified Cape) (Apexius)    
Replied On Feb 2nd 2011:   
We're outside the courthouse right now!   
[PIC]   
  
Bastion doesn't look too happy, does he? Probably should not have had tacos last night.   
  
►Dawgsmiles (Veteran Member)    
Replied On Feb 2nd 2011:   
I can confirm that (HOLY SHIT!) New Wave and Apexius showed up outside to start protesting. That's 13 capes?   
  
When was the last time we had capes protesting anything here in Boston?   
  


►Bagrat (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)    
Replied On Feb 2nd 2011:   
NYC and LA get a lot of protestors, but the Ambassadors don't take kindly to people rocking the boat in Boston. I think we had some show up for when part of NEPEA-5 got struck down a few months ago. A lot more Humanity First people showed though.   
  
I'm hearing that something big is going on in the courthouse itself? Any news, @LegalBeagle?   
  
►LegalBeagle (Original Poster) (Verified Lawyer) (Cape Groupie)    
Replied On Feb 2nd 2011:   
Uh, yeah. Things are heating up in here. The most prestigious defense law firm of Boston showed up and forced replacing the Defense. And I mean the whole team. This is bigger than The Juice's murder trial in LA.   
  
►Mr. Fabuu    
Replied On Feb 2nd 2011:   
Hey guys, there's a new story on the front page of The Boston Globe. Some sort of expose on the judge presiding on the Canary trial. I mean, shit, there's sixteen sub-articles here. Had no idea he was on the chair of the Humanity First for the New England area. They even posted one of his articles from HF's insider newsletter about the fact that parahumans do not deserve Constitutional Rights because they aren't human any more!   
  
►Forgotten Creator    
Replied On Feb 2nd 2011:   
Say what? How can he be a judge with views like that?   
  
►All Seeing Eye (Smug) (Verified Cape) (Apexius)    
Replied On Feb 2nd 2011:   
That is an _awesome_ question, Forgotten Creator, isn't it?   
  
End of Page.   1, 2, 3 ... 114, 115, 116, 117, 118   
(Showing page 117 of 118)

 

►Kriketz    
Replied On Feb 2nd 2011:   
{whistles} Whoa, the news articles have records stating that Judge Peter Reagan, Peter David (the ex-Defense lawyer) and Shelton Orleans had a working dinner at Del Frisco's of Boston with a Thomas Sutters of the Justice Department and Amon Desodes of the PRT Legal Dpt. on Jan 15th, over a week before the trial. Isn't that like really legally questionable?   
  
Hell, wish I could afford to eat there. They run $50 to $90 a plate.   
  
►LegalBeagle (Original Poster) (Verified Lawyer) (Cape Groupie)    
Replied On Feb 2nd 2011:   
That's not questionable (if true), that's flat out illegal with the defense colluding with the judge and prosecution. That reporter is looking for a Pulitzer prize if this all pans out.   
  
And back in the courthouse, the defense is calling a bunch more people as character witnesses. The first witness just shot down the prosecution's point about her enjoying inflicting pain with Canary hating to even overwork her stage crew. This guy actually said they had to distract her so they could get his people to work harder. Says she was the nicest boss they ever had and loved the good feelings that her concerts always gave.   
  
The prosecution just pulled out the Mastering card, which the defense turned around and demanded they bring unbiased specialists to determine if anyone is still suffering under lingering mastering.   
  
Is it really only 10 o'clock?   
  
►All Seeing Eye (Smug) (Verified Cape) (Apexius)    
Replied On Feb 2nd 2011:   
BTW, we've got a Canary Legal Fund donation site. freecanary.legalfund   
  
Feel free to donate anything to the good cause!   
  
►Loyal    
Replied On Feb 2nd 2011:   
Is that even allowed on PHO?   
  
►Bagrat (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)    
Replied On Feb 2nd 2011:   
As long as it's a legit legal fund, I think so. If it isn't, All Seeing Eye gets banned and possibly prosecuted.   
  
►All Seeing Eye (Smug) (Verified Cape) (Apexius)    
Replied On Feb 2nd 2011:   
It's a legit fund, checked over by about five lawyers. Sooooo many lawyers. It's being handled by Carol Dallon, aka Brandish and has strict guidelines that 95% of its money has to be used to pay for the legal fees and investigations to help Paige Mcabee, aka Canary!   
  
(Oh, and if it weren't obvious, this is Tattletale of Apexius!)   
  
End of Page.   1, 2, 3 ... 115, 116, 117   
  


■

 

Accord tapped his fingers as he studied the screen. He switched the screen to the newspaper and read every article pertaining to the Canary trial. Clumsy, loud and a bit obnoxious.

But the plan seemed likely to work. He started mentally listing pros and cons as part of plan to decide if he should intervene. In just half an hour, he knew that he favored the singer over the PRT. Not really surprising, what with their heavy handedness in pushing through for a conviction.

Right at eleven o'clock, Citrine knocked on his door.

"Enter," he ordered and watched her enter. Perfectly composed, symmetrical and with her pressed dress suit. "Citrine."

"Orders concerning dealing with New Wave and Apexius?" she asked.

"Start moving our contacts to help dig up dirt on the PRT and prosecution. Be aware that Apexius appears to have at least two Thinkers of their own. Tattletale is obvious with Cybernull a likely hacker Thinker. Make sure that real world evidence is found, cataloged and recorded by the proper authorities.  This will be your second highest priority over finding out about the latest Butcher's weaknesses." Accord leaned forward to read the title of yet another article. "Have Codex prepare an invitation to Apexius and a message to New Wave that we will not  _ interfere _ with their operation in my city."

"I have another report of Blasto letting out more of his raptor hunters. He has likely lost yet another experiment into the sewers of Boston. A second time in six months," his second in command noted.

"Contact that person at the Daily Underground to see if any weird stories have surfaced on the street. As normal, the more useful the information, the longer I will ignore  _ that _ article. Scare her first, but not so much that she will start drinking again. I don't want her finding her courage again at the bottom of a bottle."

"Is that all?" she asked.

"I will expect an update by five o'clock today with Apexius arriving at five-thirty. Have my supper delayed until six o'clock." He tapped his forefingers in identical patterns. "Make sure that all of the Ambassadors are close by and Miyagi is ready to clean up, just in case. The normal retainer fee."

"Yes, sir."

With that, Citrine left to let Accord continue his planning.

* * *

 

Chief Director Rebecca Costa-Brown stared at him from his computer screen. "Director Armstrong. Explain your  _ circus _ ."

"A circus is hardly what I would call this. An unexpected and thorny problem. It appears that some Thinker cottoned on to how badly we were pushing for Canary's conviction. And, in fact, how it now looks like illegal steps were taken to secure that. Judge Reagan is currently under investigation by the Commission of the Judicial Conduct, the governor and the state house of representatives." Armstrong raised a heavy eyebrow at that. "Lancy, my legal council here, tells me that this is literally unprecedented for a judge to be hit all three legal ways to remove him. The DA is going to have to replace Shelton Orleans as the prosecutor and perhaps even sack him. I will be having words with Marie Warton after she is done with her court appearance today."

"And what do you expect to come of that?" Costa-Brown asked.

He gave her a thin smile. "I would suggest you find her replacement on the first flight to Boston by morning so that the PRT has some sensible representation to objectively guide the prosecution."

The chief director frowned and looked away, her long bangs carefully covering one eye and the hidden wounds under it. "I will take it under advisement. When are you getting those Brockton heroes out of Boston?"

"I believe that would be a major mistake to try and do so in any sort of heavy handed manner. I've had to just about sit on Bastion so that he does not insult the rather significant amount of parahumans gathered there." Something popped up on his screen. "One second." He bit back another sigh. "It appears more heroes have arrived to lend support to New Wave and Apexius. Most are third string agitators, but I don't think anyone can call Dragon anything but a dose of legitimacy."

"I doubt she will stay long," Costa-Brown said in a thoughtful tone.

"I would suspect you are right, but she is currently being interviewed on the inhuman treatment that Canary has suffered under. Damn it, Costa-Brown, you said this would not be a huge mess. This is headed to be a bigger mess than Marquis's trial!"

"I doubt that it will become a major riot. I'm going to do everything I can to hopefully keep it from that. Lancy feels that the defense could easily call for a mistrial. And in a clean court, the chances of the heavy handed conviction that PRT Legal had outlined look incredibly unlikely. And the PRT will be covered in shit because of it."

"It can't be that bad," she scoffed through the video-link.

"There are  _ thirty-thousand _ people protesting Canary right now, when we only had a few hundred at best before this. We are on the top of the national and international news. Most of Europe is decrying the injustice while their leaders try to push for political concessions  _ already _ ."

Costa-Brown grimaced at that. "This may have set us back a year in integrating Mexico into the PRT."

"If we don't clean house, they'll use it as a pretext to try to do their own thing. Which means we'll have the United Gangs of Mexico on our southern border and sparking hot conflicts all along the border."

"We have Alexandria and Eidolon to stomp on that and they'll back off," she countered.

"That doesn't mean they won't try and that people will be hurt or killed."

Costa-Brown nodded. "I need to talk to some people her at PRT Headquarters about our response. You will likely have Warton's replacement tonight. Even if I have to hire Strider to deliver them. Keep me updated and keep a lid on this. We do not need Boston to become ground zero for a major Parahuman riot, Armstrong."

"Yeah, me thoughts exactly. Later." Armstrong hit the disconnect button with the mouse of his computer. The rather level headed director wanted to punch someone. Mostly in the order of how much of this mess they created.


End file.
